


The Stray Cat

by Sealion727



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: F/F, Initial Hollence, Later Hollstein, Some Fluff, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-22 06:23:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 100,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3718402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sealion727/pseuds/Sealion727
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things are going well for Laura, until a stray black cat walks into her life. Repaid for kindness by chaos and apathy, Laura almost throws it back to the streets, before a shadowy face haunting her dreams forces her to confront the murky origins of her unwanted guest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Laura looked at her watch. It was almost half ten and Laf still hadn't arrived. She deliberated for a moment over whether to walk back up to her flat but opted for sitting on the pavement instead. 

After another quarter of an hour checking her phone for new messages she heard a car rumbling down the road and straightened up expectantly. It was a truck, just like Lafontaine owned, but in a sharp red rather than their dull green. 

Slumping back down again Laura huffed before sending yet another text questioning where on earth the short haired ginger had got to. Bored of waiting for no reply, she stood and walked back across the lawn and up to her room. For a short while she contented herself catching up with a journalism project. Then her phone lit up. Grabbing it from among the papers she eagerly read the awaiting message:

 **LafLaugh (11:43):**      Sorry!! Okay I’m not going to be able to make today, I have a good reason though, I swear…

Laura sighed, she had been looking towards the hike around the forests they had planned and the weather outside was perfect. However more inquisitive than annoyed she replied:

 **Laura (11:43):**      Okay… Mind telling me the reason? :)

 **LafLaugh (11:44):**      Kinda long story, wanna come round?

 **Laura (11:44):**      You live like two miles away!!!

 **LafLaugh (11:46):**      Catch a bus or something :P

 **LafLaugh (11:46):**      It’ll be worth it, trust me… 

**Laura (11:46):**      Fine, it’s not like I have college work or anything anyway :P

Grabbing her bag Laura slid her phone into the pocket of her blue jeans and walked back out to the sidewalk. The bus stop was usually about a ten minute walk away but Laura decided to make use of the sun and stroll there slowly. Turning the corner she cursed to herself as she saw a bus just pulling out from the stop. 

A flash of ginger flew by her side. A very tall girl was chasing the bus down the side of the road, but slowed after realising she was too late. Laura walked the remaining ten or so meters from the corner to the stop where the ginger girl was stood looking off at the disappearing bus. 

The girl was breathing heavily and let out a groan. ‘Looks like you just missed it’ Laura said. The girl jumped, obviously unaware of her presence. When she turned and looked at Laura her face turned even redder, if that was even possible.

‘Ah, you saw that hopeless failure?’ The girl looked embarrassed as she pushed her hair back up out of her face.

‘Yup, sorry. If it's any consolation I missed it too’ Laura smiled,

‘You’d think that being captain of the track team would mean I would stop missing buses’ she laughed, now looking slightly less self-conscious. Laura raised her eyebrows at this new information.

‘Well I was impressed, I hardly saw you you were moving so fast!’ Laura said, still picturing in her head the athletic girl speed past her. ‘Y’know you probably didn’t need to though. The buses here come like every five minutes.’

‘Not today they don’t.’ Laura’s face fell. 

‘Huh?’

‘Yeah for some reason the bus service stops at twelve today.’ The ginger smiled apologetically. 

Laura cursed again under her breath, she shouldn't have dawdled so much. ‘Like stop, stops?’

‘Yeah, unfortunately. I had a track meet up I needed to make.’ she sighed, ‘Looks like I’ll just have to be a bit late and get there by foot.’ 

The red headed girl was breathing normally now. Laura found herself slightly drawn to this tall athletic figure. ‘I’m guessing that’s at Silas’ track? Do you mind if I walk with you? It’s just my friend lives in a house kinda near there, which was where I was headed. I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to, it’s just sometimes walking with someone else…’  
The girl cut the beginning of Laura’s rambling off.

‘No sure, sure, I would be glad of some company.’ Laura realised she had been staring into this girl’s eyes for minutes now, and didn't even know her name.

‘Okay brilliant. I’m Laura by the way, I’m studying journalism at Silas.’ 

‘Oh no way. Same here actually.’ she smiled as she turned and began to walk down the road. Laura caught up to her side, having to take two steps for every one the girl made.

‘Oh yeah? Cool… Maybe we could meet up, talk assignments or something sometime?’ Laura began tripping over her words again. She was conscious she still didn't know the girl’s name, besides being strongly aware of how attractive this girl was.

‘I’m totally up for that’ she beamed, ‘Add me on Facebook. Danny Lawrence.’

Laura nodded happily and stifled a small noise of excitement. Despite her original reluctance to walk she found herself enjoying it. There was a cool breeze, and besides two miles wasn't really that far anyway. In fact she wished the walk had been longer. As the fence surrounding the track loomed up on her left, Laura realised she would have to turn right pretty soon to get to Laf’s. In the end she walked all the way round to the sport centre's gate.

When they got there they lingered at the entrance for a moment. ‘Right, I’m gonna have to leave you here.’ Laura said, turning to face Danny.

‘Yeah, it was really great meeting you.’ She replied, a faint blush creeping up on her cheeks again. That made Laura happy. It was cute Laura thought. She didn't know such tall people could have that ability.

They paused a second, just smiling. Remembering they both had places they were supposed to be, Laura said ‘Right, I’ll message you soon and we’ll meet up.’  
‘Definitely, I’ll see you later.’

‘Yup, bye.’ As they were just starting to walk away from each other, Danny turned back.

‘Oh and Laura?’

‘Yup’

‘Feel free to come down to the track anytime, I mean I train here this time every week, plus most weekdays. Well unless it’s been booked off. I’m usually around, somewhere or other. Well that's if you want…’ 

‘I’d love to’ 

She looked relieved that Laura had returned the favour and stopped her rambling. ‘Okay, excellent’

‘See you’ 

‘Yeah, bye’

Laura walked across the road and winded back on herself through some small suburban streets until reaching Laf’s. Whilst walking up the front path she noted how pretty the small bungalow looked in the sunshine. The lawn, small as it was, was mown to perfection, bar one small square burnt patch. Laura chuckled under her breath as she imagined Perry chasing Lafontaine around with a frying pan for ruining her flawless lawn with yet another science experiment. Laura stepped up to the door and knocked a few times.

There was no reply. She waited a few moments longer before knocking again, slightly louder this time. She could hear no movement inside the house. With a puzzled look on her face she stepped back down off the porch and pulled her phone out her back pocket. Two missed calls, four messages.

 **LafLaugh (12:16):**     Are you on your way yet?… could do with a little help

 **LafLaugh (12:23):**     Are you still coming?

 **LafLaugh (12:23):**     Laura you need to stop leaving your phone on silent!!! :P

 **LafLaugh (12:34):**     I don’t know if you’re still coming but I need to go out to get some stuff :) Won’t be long

Just as she was reading through a new message arrived.

 **LafLaugh (12:43):**     Just realised I was supposed to pick up Perry, oops, okay I may be a little later :/

 **Laura (12:43):**     How much later? x

 **LafLaugh (12:44):**     A while… maybe an hour or two, really sorry!!! :(

 **Laura (12:45):**     Ok, well let me know when you’re back x

 **LafLaugh (12:45):**     Will do, sorry again! X

Laura sighed and deliberated whether to walk back. It made sense with the amount of time she had, but she didn’t fancy walking all afternoon, sunny weather or no sunny weather. Besides there was only yet more college work to do at home, so she decided to make the most of a beautiful Saturday. 

She started making her way to a nearby park to read when Danny’s offer crept back into her head. ‘It’s a little sooner than she probably meant.’ Laura thought to herself. However, the prospect held far more allure than getting through the thick international politics textbook nestled in her backpack. ‘I’m sure she won’t mind’ Laura decided, turning on her heel and heading back over towards the track. She got round to the gate with confidence, but slowed when she got into the area bordering on where she could see a group of girls running.

The short girl stood searching amongst the heads for Danny. Frowning, she realised that she could see no red headed girl with the rest. She felt a light tapping on her shoulder to the side.

‘Hey.’ Danny smiled, melting the nervousness on Laura’s face.  
‘Hey’

‘I spotted you walking around the side and assumed you might be back. What happened to meeting up with your friend?’

‘Ah, well, I’m not totally sure, but they had to go pick up their girlfriend from the airport’

‘And they didn’t tell you before? That’s a good drive away’

‘Laf can be… forgetful. It’s a probably a good thing we didn’t go to the forest for a walk today.'

Danny laughed. Laura noted how her hair rippled in the sun as she tilted her head slightly back. There was no denying that she was attracted to this girl. A light sweat clung to her long muscular limbs, and her grey blue eyes sparkled with the fire of her hair. 

‘So I’m guessing you have quite a bit of spare time on your hands?’

‘Exactly’

‘Ok, I’m probably gonna be here another half hour, I was late so we’re almost wrapped up. Are you interested in coffee?’

‘Yeah, that’d be great’

‘Okay cool. I’m just gonna finish off this session then have a shower and change and I’ll be right back out with you’ Danny did a short wave before jogging back out to join her teammates who were stood in a group around the start line. Laura’s jaw hurt from all the smiling she was doing in the girl’s presence.

Walking over to the stands at the side, Laura took a seat on the second bench up. She shoved her sunglasses on as she settled herself to watch the ongoing training. After a while of faster laps the group seemed to slow down, then settle into stretching before walking into the track’s building to the side. A short time later, a stream of girls re-emerged. Among them was Danny, who separated and made her way over to Laura. 

As she came closer Laura noticed her hair was wet, and dripping onto the red and white baseball shirt she had put on. Danny sat on the bench just beneath Laura and grabbed a towel out her bag to finish drying her hair.

‘So’ the girl’s voice came out muffled underneath the towel, ‘I was actually thinking we might upgrade the coffee to lunch. I didn’t manage to get any before training. Is that cool? Have you already eaten?’

'No, that'd be great.' 

'Alright, I'm just trying to think where's near here'

'I heard Whalf Street has a good Mexican place' Laura suggested, but Danny looked perplexed for a second.

'No you're right it has great food, um, do you mind if we go somewhere else though?'

'Sure, why?' Laura asked, curious.

Danny looked slightly embarrassed, 'Well the girls usually go there after training, and I wanted it to be just us. Um... I mean, they're loud, it'd be overwhelming to meet them all at once.'

'Okay,' said Laura, thinking on the spot, 'How about we pick up some sandwiches from a store and have a picnic? Seems a shame to waste such good weather.' Then added with a half smile on her face, 'Plus, then I get you all to myself.'

Laura was pretty sure she forgot to breathe with her last addition. It sounded good in her head. Confident. Out loud it felt too bold for her normal demeanor. But Danny just smiled even brighter than before. 

The day remained as bright as that smile. They found a patch partially covered by a tree and sat, half facing towards each other, half towards a small flowing stream. Laura was grateful for living in such a beautiful area. It was one of the things that had drawn her to Silas in the first place. As she had sat delving through a pile of prospectuses, the photos of forests and parkland surrounding the university had made it stand out in her mind.

Now she was struggling to separate the beauty of the landscape with that of her most recent discovery. The light rippling off the water only served to make Danny seem even more beautiful. She kept finding more and things which added to how perfect Danny was for her. 

Just as she was milling this over something whizzed straight past her face. Laura jumped out of her skin. She spun her head round to stare at the offending object. A red Frisbee lay on the floor.

'Sorry!' A guy yelled as he ran over to retrieve the disk. 'Didn't mean to scare you ladies' he smirked after picking it up.

'Mind where you throw things' snapped Danny. Laura turned to look at her. She seemed to be in a completely different mode, 'Imagine if that had hit her. That could have really hurt.'

'Well it's lucky for her nothing did happen.' he threw back. Danny looked like she was about to launch at him. 

'Lucky for you too.' Her eyes looked like they were literally throwing daggers. 

Laura cut in. 'Well the important thing is that no one was hurt. Maybe watch out for nearby people in future' 

'Yeah, or just learn to throw.' Danny muttered, not so quietly, under her breath.

The guy's eyebrows furrowed for a second, but then he seemed to shrug it off. His group were calling for him from back on the field to throw the Frisbee. 

'Gotta get back to my bros. Catch you hotties later.' He called over his shoulder as he started jogging away.

'Urgh, I hope not' said Danny looking disgusted. 'Guys like that just get on my nerves.'

Danny turned to look her in the eyes. The anger on her face dissolved to concern. She seemed to check Laura for a sign she was fine.

'I'm okay,' Laura reassured her, 'it missed.' Danny still looked unconvinced that the boy shouldn't be locked up for life. 

After a while though she relaxed back into conversation about the summer society. There was something called the annual Adonis hunt coming up and Danny was trying to get Laura involved. It turned out they were both focused on the many of the same topics on their course too.

Eventually Danny had to get back for an evening social. Laura also realised there was probably lots of missed messages on her phone from LaFontaine. As they stood by the gate Laura noticed that the sky was just beginning to settle into dusk.

She felt like a fool just standing, smiling, but couldn't bring herself to tear away from the tall girl's presence. 

Eventually she broke the silence. 'Missing the bus may have sucked, but I'm really glad I ran into you.' 

'Yeah, me too' the redhead said, her words deep with meaning. Laura felt a palpable tension in the air. 'Hey, you know, we should collaborate. Compare notes, you know work on our projects together. I think we'd make a pretty great team.' 

Laura knew she was talking about only course stuff, but she couldn't help marveling at the idea of her and Danny as a team. She realised how breathless she was as she replied 'Yeah. a team. You and me. Absolutely.'

As she walked alone towards LaFontaine's house she contemplated Danny's words. A team. At the time her words seemed to perhaps indicate more. Now thinking back Danny probably had only been talking about their course. Yes, she decided it was definitely just that. 

Undertones or no undertones, she was looking forwards to seeing the girl again in future. Laura couldn't help but hold some hope that the girl shared at least some of her feelings though. She turned off onto Laf's garden path.

As she approached the entrance she could hear a muffled argument occurring upstairs. She stood by the door, making out the muted tones of Perry's outrage before tentatively knocking.

The voices stopped and she heard footsteps approaching her. The door opened revealing a worried looking LaFontaine.

'Ah Laura. I was wondering when you'd get here.' They moved back into the house, allowing Laura to follow them inside. 'I've still got a long story to tell you. Perry's not too happy about it. Here is the present situation anyway.

Laura barely recognised the normally immaculate living room. The wallpaper was all torn and the furniture lay shredded about its edges. At the center of the room the source of the destruction sat nonchalantly. Laura looked with shock into the eyes of a black stray cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	2. Chapter 2

'Laf I can't take in some random cat off the street!' Laura said, outraged.

'It's either that or you'll have to take me in. Perry's not dealing with this and I can't just abandon it.' LaFontaine's eyes were pleading with Laura.

She couldn't quite believe she was having this conversation. She was sure she had stood for a few minutes just taking in the scene of the front room. The cat appeared to have lost intrest in her instantly. Seemingly bored it had stood and slinked off to God knows where. LaFontaine had started their petition to Laura as soon as she turned to face them.

'Seriously. You know I'm more of a dog person' Laura whined. She turned to look at the cat who had reentered the room and appeared to have decided to fall asleep. Perry had apparently gone and locked herself in her room in frustration. 

'What is even wrong with it anyway?' Laura looked at the cat. It was ugly. The face was not cute. Its features were marked by angles and lines.

'Err, not quite sure,' LaFontaine was still shuffling and staring at their feet every few seconds. 'I think it's malnourished. It also appears to be a weird breed or something. If you take it in I'll be able to do some tests on it and find out.'

'Laf, this isn't just a science project. I've got other things in my life right now. We aren't even allowed pets in our rooms. Look at the mess it made in just a day. Imagine if it lived with me.' Laura pleaded desperately.

LaFontaine looked miserable. 'I couldn't leave it there to die. It was in a box in the river Laura. Who does that?' They paused as they looked over at it. 'It at least deserves some love for a short while'

'Well it's not going to get that from me.' Laura snapped. She slackened as she saw Lafontaine's dejected look. 'I will however look after it.' Laf's face lit up, 'Temporarily.' Laura hastened to add.

LaFontaine nevertheless looked relieved. 'Great. Have you got any of the things you'll need?'

'No. Of course not.'

'I grabbed a couple of things on the way back from the airport. The petrol station didn't have much apart from food. Better than nothing though.' 

Laura looked back towards the cat with distaste. This was the worst. 'Can't we take it to an animal home or something?'

'If you want we can try tomorrow and see if somewhere'll look after it'

'I hope there is. I've got to be honest, I'm all for charitable works, but Laf, I have never had a cat before. I'm not sure I'm really the person to take care of it right now.'

'I'm sorry. I really would do this myself if I could.' They looked nervously up towards the ceiling. Laura could just about make out the sounds of feet pacing back and forth. 'I'm about to make some food anyway, want to stay for a bit?'

'Yeah, sure.'

Laf walked out into the hallway. Laura followed. At the base of the stairs they held the rail of the banister. They paused for a second before calling up, 'Perr? I was going to make some tea. Do you want to come down?'

There was silence. Then Laura heard a door open and a tentative voice. 'Is it still...you know... in the house.' 

'Um yup, I left it in the front room' 

'Can you put it on the porch until we find a more suitable home for it.' 

'Doing it now.' LaFontaine turned and walked back into the living room. Perry appeared at the top of the stairs and peered down suspiciously.

'Ah, hello Laura. How has your day been?'

'Good thanks. Eventful.' Laura sighed.

Perry nodded as she walked down. 'I know the feeling.' LaFontaine reappeared. Perry was stepping towards the door to the front room but they hastily steered her around towards the kitchen. 'Hey hon,' Laf put on a facade of cheeriness, 'why don't you get Laura a drink while I fix dinner?'

'Definately not.' Perry replied as they entered. She instantly made her way over to the stove. 'Last time I let you cook, you almost burnt the house down.' She began rifling through cupboards for pots and pans. 'Besides, I think we have had enough damage to this house for one day.'

Laura joined the conversation, 'I can help you sort out the front room again if you like.'

Perry whirled round. LaFontaine looked like they might run away.

'Pardon?'

Laura was confused. Usually people were happy if she offered them help. 

'Um, if you'd like, I can help you clean up the mess it made of the front room.'

Perry looked as if she might faint. 'Front room.' She whispered under her breath, and mumbling silently to herself left the kitchen.

'Okay. What was that about?' Laura turned to Lafontaine.

'Well I kinda hadn't told her about the front room yet.' 

'But she talked about damage. And she was stressed. And how could she not have noticed?'

'Err, well the first thing she saw was what it did to the lawn. She ran straight upstairs. I thought it was best to save the second heart attack for later.'

They heard a muffled shriek from the other room. Apparently Perry had seen the damage. Laf jerked their head up to look at Laura with panic in their eyes. 

Laura followed Laf to where Perry was standing in the center of the room. Perry was still holding a wooden spoon in her hand. Her eyes looked like they were about to jump out of their sockets. Slowly she moved towards the edges. She tentatively reached towards objects.

'The coffee table.' She made a noise between a choke and a sob. 'My spoon collection. The ornamental plates' 

She moved about the detritus of the room. Laura could see her cataloging the damages in her head. There was no way the things like the broken china and torn cushion covers could be fixed. 

Perry turned on her heel to face them. 

'No. No. N-n-n-n-n-n-n-no. This is… This is not happening. Chaos and destruction, awful clawed wallpaper, and stained carpets? No. We’re supposed to have a cosy fire and h-hot cocoa in the evenings. And you’ll come to me with brownies or… cookies or… celery. But not the carnage of this evil, weird cat. No. This, mm, this cannot be happening. I demand this isn't happening. Just… be normal. Just… BE NORMAL!'

Laura had tensed up. She realised that during the process of the girl's rant she had been slowly stepping backwards. She and Laf were practically against the wall. 

The black cat lazily entered from the door behind them. It briefly glanced at the room's occupants, then lay back down in its spot.

Perry looked like steam was about to come out of her ears. 'LaFontaine.' She said in a sickly sweet tone. 'Could you please remove this, delightful animal, from the premises. And I would appreciate if this time you could lock the door.' 

LaFontaine hurriedly scooped the cat up and rushed out with it. Despite being slung over Laf's shoulder, the cat looked at Laura as if it were amused. Perry went back to walking around in a daze so Laura went after them.

Outside, LaFontaine returned the cat to the floor. They looked slightly worried. Well actually if Laura was being honest they looked worse than that. 

'Uh, look,' Laura began, 'I think you may need to sort things out with Perry. If you like I can take the cat home now.'

'But you were about to have dinner with us.'

'Honestly, don't worry about me. Besides I should probably work out what to do with this one myself.' Laura began wondering what time the pet shops in town would close.

Laf gave a weak grin. 'Thanks L. Are you okay getting back?'

'Yah, no worries,' she returned with a smile. Laura picked up the cat and waved as she walked down the path. 

It was probably verging on about eight o'clock and the sky was darkening. Laura walked faster. She didn't enjoy being out once it was night.

It was after about ten minutes of walking that the cat began to wriggle.

'Stop that will you' Laura muttered. The previously dead weight seemed only to begin moving more. She began to struggle to hold it. Somehow the cat twisted out of her grip and it fell to the floor.

Laura was worried for a second but it had landed on its feet. It yawned, then shaked it's head and began trotting back in the direction they had come from.

'Oh no you don't' Laura raced after it and scooped it up again. The cat looked annoyed. She couldn't keep a hold of it at all this time. Laura yelled in frustration. 

'Will you just let me pick you up so we can get home' she exclaimed.

The stray seemed to have no intention of going to Laura's though. It kept walking away from her and refusing to be held.

Laura looked around her for something she could use as a lead. She quickly decided against that idea. A picture of the cat refusing to move as she dragged it through the streets came up in her mind.

Then an idea struck her. She had visited her Auntie's house with her Dad last summer. She had rembered the two cat's fascination with the cardboard boxes when a delivery had come in. Her Auntie had told her all cats had a natural affinity for boxes.

Laura looked about the fronts of people's houses for a box she could use to ferry about the cat in. She was in luck. Luckily the next day was bin day so she spotted flattened cardboard a short way down the road. 

She kept half an eye on the cat as it ambled away and she hastily ran to the folded box and opened it out again.

Box in hand she snuck after the cat. Either it was unaware of her presence behind it, or it simply didn't care.

Laura was now slightly unsure of how to get the cat to want to be inside the box. She decided this probably would only happen if it had found the box of its own accord. In fact it would probably try and escape as quickly as possible. It might be against the cat's will, but at least she could get it home. It was getting really dark now, and despite having ten years of experience in Krav Maga she really didn't want to be caught outside at night.

She reached over and put the opening of the box to the side of the cat, sweeping it inside. She slammed the lids down and lay on the top for a second.

She had expected it to claw at the sides, or at least scrabble about a bit, but the cat was silent. Laura supposed her auntie was right and cats really did like boxes.

She bent down and picked up the box. The cat was lighter than she expected, but she could feel its still weight lying in the bottom. She walked for a few minutes before getting worried. She still hadn't felt the cat move.

Laura stopped and moved her head down to the side of the box to see if she could hear it. The cat was definately still there. She could hear it breathing. But it's breaths were laboured and far too fast.

Laura practically slammed the cardboard onto the pavingstones in a panic. She wrenched open the lid of the box to examine the stray.

The cat was sat, frozen, in a corner. It's eyes had gone impossibly dark and were wide in panic. It didn't notice Laura, just stared at the cardboard wall opposite.

'Shit.' Laura could have hit herself as she gently pulled the cat out and placed it on the ground. The instant she had seen the cat her stupidity had hit her. Laf's words returned to her. How they had discovered the cat. How it had been left to drown in a box.

She stamped the box back down and put it with another house's recycling. She looked back over to the cat.

It hadn't moved from the spot she had left it. It's body was close to the floor and it was now staring at the ground. It's whole position looked like it was expecting to be struck. As Laura moved closer to it she noticed the cat was shivering.

Laura unzipped her hoodie and gently wrapped the cat up in the material. She ensured that the cat's head was out, before picking up the parcel and holding it to her chest.

She waited a few minutes until she could feel the breaths beneath the hoodie begin to slow again. The cat shaked its head, it's ears tickling Laura's chin. Laura began to walk. It didn't seem like the cat would be up to its old tricks again for a while.

As Laura neared her building she pulled the cat in tighter and held one of the sleeves over its head. She glanced around constantly as she cut across the grass but no one was about.

Laura balanced the cat in one arm as she rummaged through her bag for the key. Her hand closed around cold metal and she drew it out to unlock the front door. Once she was inside the stairwell Laura darted up the two flights of stairs.

Only when she reached her room did she relax.

Laura threw her bag ontop of her bed and walked across to the opposite side of the room.

She sat, still holding the parcel, on the bed opposite. The room was set out for her and a second person, but the building hadn't been completely filled. Laura at first had been disappointed to discover she would be alone, she had always wanted a roommate. At this particular moment in time though she was relieved. She doubted many roommates would appreciate the addition of a third occupant.

Laura lowered the cat onto the duvet beside her. Standing, she began to look around her cupboards for two bowls she could fill with food and water. Only once she had filled the first with water did Laura realise she had forgotten to bring the food Laf said they'd bought.

Laura opened the small fridge. A dull glow spread across the dark room. Nothing she had was appropriate for a cat, unless it was particularly fond of junk food.

She would have to get Laf to bring it in the morning. Laura placed the bowl of water on the floor near the fridge. She was sure that an animal would be able to survive one night without food. 

Walking over to her computer Laura got out her mobile and shot them a text. Settling herself down on the wheelie chair she scrolled through her contacts list to the new name. 

On Facebook she noticed a friend request. When she clicked on it Danny's name appeared. Laura felt a warmth in her chest and tried to restrain her grin. She opened the page and accepted instantly.

Laura looked at her profile picture. Danny looked pretty in it, but she was at the edge and a group of girls Laura didn't recognise dominated the frame. The previous pictures were pretty much the same.

She clicked out and went down Danny's timeline before glancing through her photos. A large percentage of her page was of various summer society events. Laura noticed that despite being frequently tagged by others, the girl rarely posted herself. Perhaps she hardly used Facebook.

Laura noted the green online symbol next to her name though and sent a message.

Laura Hollis  at 9:14:           Hey :P thanks for the friend request :D

She stood up and grabbed a grape soda from the fridge. The cat looked like it was probably still hiding within the folds of her jumper. She squinted as she cracked open the can and it hissed. As she reopened her eyes, they focused on a new message on the screen.

Danny Lawrence  at 9:15:      No, thank you for accepting :) How's that assignment going?  
Laura Hollis  at 9:15:           It kind of isn't at the moment. I haven't really had the time, so much stuff is happening at the                                    moment!  
Danny Lawrence  at 9:16:     Too bad, I was going to ask if you wanted to meet up again tomorrow, but I guess you'll                                     probably have to do work :P  
Laura Hollis  at 9:16:           I didn't say that!  
Laura Hollis  at 9:16:           I have half of Monday off so I can most of it then. What were you thinking of doing? :D  
Danny Lawrence  at 9:17:      I hadn't really decided yet, I just had some free time. Unlike you I have already got all my                                     current work finished ;) 

Ah, she only wanted to meet up because she had nothing else to do. Laura supposed that was fair enough, they had only known each other a day.

Danny Lawrence  at 9:17 :      If you want we can meet up and then decide what to do.  
Laura Hollis  at 9:18:           Sure :) I am meeting up with my friend again in the morning, but we can meet at mine just                                     after midday if you'd like  
Danny Lawrence  at 9:19:      Sounds perfect. You're in flat 7 right?  
Laura Hollis  at 9:21:           Yeah. Room 207 :)  
Danny Lawrence  at 9:22:      Cool :) I'll see you then

Laura yawned. She considered watching a film before bed but decided not to. She was tired, and besides there was no films she really wanted to watch. 

As she exited the bathroom after brushing her teeth Laura looked over at the other bed. The cat was beginning to stir. She could see its flashing eyes dart out from beneath the material it was still hiding within.

Laura sighed. Perhaps the stray wasn't so bad, but she would be in big trouble if the campus authorities found her hiding it. She was releived at the idea that they could find a more suitable home for it with a charity tomorrow.

As she settled down into her covers she checked through the messages on her phone. LaFontaine said that they would be over at 8:30 the next day to drive her to the animal centre. As she drifted off, her thoughts drifted to what would happen later in the day. Laura's mind was filled with pictures of Danny, and the sound of her bright colourful laugh, as she fell asleep.

-

In Laura's dream she stood in a veil of white mist on the side of a mountain. She could barely see her hands, stretched out infront of her, or her feet, standing upon light brown rock. She stepped without fear of where the path was taking her. But then there was no ground beneath her feet. She fell and fell. She fell for so long down into the gloom that it no longer seemed like she was moving. She felt suspended, as if she was underwater. Surrounding her was darkness. The blackness moved through the deep like mist. It wrapped itself around her, choking Laura so she could hardly breathe. 

Through the shadows came a shapeless form. The substance of a head and torso melted into view, the rest enshrouded in dark clouds. The face was pale, almost as white as the dress it was wearing. A mass of jet hair framed her sharp cheekbones. A strange beauty about this visage struck Laura. The young woman's eyes were black, but not like the darkness surrounding her. Not like the hungry darkness, eating light. Instead, the obsidian of this girl's eyes reflected all the brightness it could find in those depths. 

As the eyes stared at her, Laura could see herself. The girl looked so sad. Laura tried moving towards her, but felt a current pulling her backwards. Her feet moved futilely through the void. Laura could already see her light draining from those eyes. 

As she drifted through the abyss she grasped for a face left behind in the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to start getting interesting. You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	3. Chapter 3

Laura opened her eyes groggily to check the time. She jumped to discover that it was already quarter past one, before realising that the clock had been turned upside down. Slowly sitting up she revolved her head to discover that it was not the only object out of place.

The room was trashed. A door of the wardrobe was swinging off its hinges and the opposite mattress was half falling onto the floor. Her computer monitor was face down on the desk, the mouse swinging lazily from its edge. She stood to check whether it has been broken. She felt a strange sensation as her foot made contact with a slimy substance marked by small chunks.

'Oh my god' choked Laura. She looked down to see her bare foot in the remains of a jar of salsa.

Across the room the detritus of Laura's life were spread. She saw herself mirroring Perry's reaction as she counted up treasured items that were broken in her head. A huge problem would be explaining to campus maintenance how she had managed to break pretty much every item of furniture in the room except her own bed. In fact, how had the cat managed to do it? And where was the damn thing hiding?

She moved into the bathroom to clean the mess off her foot. For some reason the cat had been in there too. There were wet towels lying across the floor. She thought cats hated water. Maybe that was just an old wives tale, she hadn't ever spent enough time with a cat to find out. 

After cleaning herself up she walked back into the main room. Laura almost cried as she noticed the remains of last night's grape soda spilt across all her class notes. She scanned the room for sight of the animal.

Apparently it had left. 'Good.' Laura thought. She had wanted to give the creature a second chance. But whatever had done this was completely different to the vulnerable cat she had seen last night.

Laura decided to ignore the mess for the moment and get some breakfast. She growled as she rummaged through the half emptied fridge. She settled on having the two brownies the cat had kindly left for her.

Laura heard the distinctive rumble of Laf's truck pulling into the parking lot outside. Confused Laura checked her phone for what the actual time was. Four messages, eight missed calls. And the time was quarter past seven. Something was wrong.

Laura grabbed her keys before rushing down to the path outside. The day was grey and there was a chill in the air that went straight through the material of her pyjamas. Laura hugged her arms to her sides as Laf shut the door of the truck firmly. They turned and, spotting Laura, strode over. 

'Laura. You need to stop leaving your phone on silent!'

'What's wrong? Has something happened with Perry?' 

They stared at her confused. 'No, Perry's fine. It was you I was worried about.' Now it was Laura's turn to look confused. They looked her up and down with concern on their face before breathing out. 'At least you're okay. We should go to a café and I'll explain the situation.'

'Laf, no way. I'm in my pyjamas. Let's just go inside.'

'I don't think that's a good idea.'

Laura wanted to know why, but Laf looked so serious she decided to leave it. 'Alright, can I at least grab a change of clothes?'

LaFontaine shook their head. 'Laura, seriously. It doesn't even matter, no one but you is ever up this early on a Sunday.' They saw her shiver. 'If you want I've got an old coat in the trunk.'

'Fine.' Laura huffed. They walked back over to the truck and Laf got in. She walked around to the back and picked up the coat. It was brown and way too big for her, but at least it was thick and warm.

Laura jumped into the passenger seat and Laf backed out of the lot. As they made their way through empty streets Laura felt her curiosity begin to grow. Whatever it was LaFontaine didn't seem to want to talk about yet so Laura pressed the button on the radio.

A medley of 70s hits filled the car as they made their way to the café. Laura barely heard them. She was focused on picking up as much as she could about what was happening from sideways glances at Laf.

Despite her original perceptions, concern and worry weren't the only tones they were giving off. Somewhere in the mix was also an excitement, and a certain degree of anticipation. Laura got the feeling they were conflicted over whatever the situation was.

They pulled into the street outside Full of Beans. Laura cringed as usual at the awful pun as they walked inside. LaFontaine had an affinity for bad puns. This had rapidly become their favourite cafe since it renamed itself. Laf remained silent though as they both walked inside which worried Laura.

They sat at a table. LaFontaine looked at her with a serious face on and said, 'Ok I know I've not bean espressoing myself so well this morning, but this isn't just the daily grind. I'm worried we may have a latte problems boiling over.' 

Laura rolled her eyes. 'Those were lame.'

'Egg-cuse me, it's early'

'And what's with the egg pun? That doesn't relate to anything!'

'It will do, I'm about to order some. Want any?'

Laura had already had one unhealthy breakfast, she guessed it wouldn't hurt to have another. 'Hmm, I think I'll have pancakes actually.' 

They ordered. Laura turned back to Laf. She really wanted to find out what was going on.

'Soo?' Began Laura 

Laf looked back at her and looked unsure how to begin.

'So I may as well give you the bad news first.' They paused. 'You can't give away the cat to an animal center, or anyone else for that matter.'

Ok, so unless that meant the cat had gone, which would be good news, that meant she had to keep it. Which wasn't a possibility. Or a necessity. At least for any of the reasons she could think of.

'Let me get this straight. You're saying I have to carry on looking after that chaos machine? I don't get it. Why?' Laura almost laughed. Laf's face remained stern.  
'Ok. So I thought you were right when you said the cat looked... different... so I took some samples for DNA testing.'

'As you would.'

'Well you know, a lot of problems can be solved by taking hair and blood samples to figure out exactly what kind of freaky it is you’re dealing with.' They paused. 'Anyway, it turns out that whatever it is isn't a cat at all.'

Laura waited for another pun or terrible joke. None came. 'Okay. What?'

'So I compared it's DNA base sequences to other members of the Felis genus, to determine if it was part of a wild rather than domestic species but I came up with nothing. So then I did DNA hybridisation tests to determine its position on the phylogenetic tree. Turns out its part of the Panthera genus, not the Felis at all.'

Laura remained in the dark. 'Laf, Perry's not here to translate.' 

LaFontaine looked sheepish. They back peddled on their scientific spiel. 

'Basically, it's not part of a species of small cats, but big ones. Technically, it's black fur makes it a melanistic colour variant of the panthera genus, and that's a panther.'

'What?' This was a really long joke, even for Laf. No punchline came.

'Genetically speaking, that black cat you took in, it's a panther.' 

Laura almost laughed, 'Panthers aren't that small. Either you've got your tests wrong or it must be a baby or something.'

'It's not a baby. I think whatever it is might be quite old actually. I would email the tests to a friend to double check, but I think we should keep this under wraps for now in case I am right. And I redid the tests a number of times so I am pretty sure I am.'

'Wait. When on earth did you manage to do all this?'

'I've been working on it all night. I've been trying to call you since I started suspecting the weird, then drove over once I was certain.'

Well that explained the worse than usual puns. Laura didn't know what to say. The cat was strange, but she still wasn't convinced that it could actually be a panther. 'So, it's got to go right? I mean, keeping a panther is life threatening, or at least a health code violation.' 

'I really don't think getting rid of it is a good idea right now. It seems weak at the moment, so I don't think it's immediately dangerous. You survived the night at least.'

Laura shot LaFontaine a look that was not at all amused. A waitress arrived at their table carrying two plates. Laura moved her mug to the side to make room for the food. Momentarily distracted, she began tucking into the syrup soaked pancakes. Wow she loved sweet things.

'Anyway,' they continued, 'For the moment we need to ensure it stays in your room. It may seem safe for the moment, but we don't want a public massacre on our hands.'

Laura knew Laf was now kidding but her stomach dropped. With some effort she gulped down the piece of pancake she had just bitten into. 

Laf looked at Laura blankly, obviously confused at the sudden increase of concern on her face.  
'What?'

Laura squirmed. She realised she should have mentioned this as soon as it was mentioned the cat might be something less than safe.

'Err, it kinda wasn't in my room when I woke up,' Laura didn't think people's mouths actually dropped in surprise, but Laf's just did. 'It trashed my room so I was more concerned about that. Besides I thought it was harmless. To people at least.'

Laf stood up. 'We need to go.' They went over to the bar and paid. The waitress looked confused as they walked out leaving behind plates half empty. 

Laura looked over her shoulder longingly at remainder of her pancakes as she followed Laf out. Barely had she done up her seat belt before they were racing back towards the university accommodation. 

'I know we need to get back quickly,' Laura said as she watched the speedometer creeping way over the speed limit, 'but you should probably pay attention to road safety guidelines. There could be cyclists about.' LaFontaine frowned, before reducing their speed fractionally. Soon they had reached the campus and Laf pulled the truck back into the same spot it had occupied earlier. 

'Maybe it found its way back?' Laura called to LaFontaine as they raced up the stairs. Apparently it hadn't. As they entered her room it was just as much of a mess as it was before, and there was still no obvious cat present.

LaFontaine moved into the room and scanned its edges. 'I don't see it,' they said over their shoulder, 'but this room is a mess, it could easily be hiding.' Laf turned to face Laura, 'If you can give in here a proper search, I'll start looking outside.' 

LaFontaine was out of the door before Laura could agree. It occurred to her that even if she found the cat she wouldn't know what to do. For that matter was approaching it even safe? Regardless of these worries she began searching all the crevices in her room. If there was a problem she could always call Laf.

The mess that the stray had made meant looking took longer than it would have done. Nevertheless there were limited places it could hide, under clothes, behind furniture. It took a short amount of time to ascertain it wasn't there. Laura left the room to help Laf with the search outside.

The outside didn't take quite as short a time to search. Even just the small area surrounding the flats had infinite hiding places. That plus the fact that cats are mobile and likely to stray far further afield made the prospect of finding it seem impossible.

They couldn't give up the task though. They didn't know enough yet about the supposed panther to let it roam free. At first Laura felt self concious as she traipsed through hedges and stared underneath cars. Eventually though she began to disregard the occasional strange looks, more focused on the task in hand. She even began to ask random people if they had seen the cat in the chance of a breakthrough

Apart from that Laura searched silently. She was split from Laf in order to cover a wider area. At first she thought to call for the cat, but it wasn't like a dog. Besides it hadn't even got a name yet to shout. Even if she whistled it was probably trying to avoid her.

A few hours passed to no avail. As Laura crossed paths with Laf for the umpteenth time they stopped to talk the situation over.

LaFontaine sighed, they had even taken the truck around the neighboring streets for a sight of the bundle of fur. It was nearing midday and Laura was beginning to get hungry. She hadn't had breakfast after all.

'We need to take a break' Laura began, 'I don't think we're going to find it. Besides, I was thinking it's probably avoiding us. There's no sign that it's been harmful yet. I think we're safe calling off the search for a while.'

LaFontaine shrugged and nodded. On the walk back to Laura's flat they stopped off at a food store quickly to get some things for lunch. LaFontaine smirked at Laura as she walked straight to the sweet section and filled her basket with junk food.

'Honestly Laura, don't think you should get at least something healthy? I think a heart attack might ruin our chances of ever finding the stray.'

'I know, but I'm giving up on our chances of that. And chocolate is comforting in the face of epic failure.'

LaFontaine laughed as they followed her to the counter where she paid. As she stepped out Laura held her hand over her eyes. The sun had decided to show up again. It felt too bright. Laura was tired. She felt like she hadn't slept too well and tracking the stray only added to her fatigue.

Laura felt like a wave of weariness hit her as they walked to her block. She reached down into the bag for a cookie to munch on the way there.

Laura held the front door open for Laf before following them up the stairs. The bag was digging into her hand. She switched in into the other. 'I left it unlocked' she told Laf between bites of cookie as they reached her door.

It was dark inside so Laf opened the curtains as Laura put the plastic bag on her desk. When she turned round Laura almost screamed in frustration. 

Lying on her bed was the stray. It was lazing next to some other cat with white fur that she didn't recognise. Laura marched over and shooed the unknown cat out of her room. She walked back to where the black cat was still lying, completely unfazed. If anything it seemed to be amused.

Laura swore she would have strangled it it wasn't for Laf stepping up behind her. They coughed. Laura jumped slightly and turned around.

'Murder of a poor defenceless animal probably won't look too good on your CV' they paused, 'even if we're not sure if it is defenceless.' Laf glanced suspiciously at the animal, 'Seems safe for the moment though' They both glanced at the cat. It glared at them, but weakly, before closing its eyes and seeming to fall asleep.

LaFontaine handed Laura a packet of crisps and opened one for themself. The cat obviously wasn't moving so Laura took her desk chair as Laf perched on the side of the other bed.

'What of a waste of a morning' Laura grumbled.

'At least we found it. For the moment you're going to have to keep it in here until I can run some more tests on it.'

'So it's a panther?'

'Technically, though it's some new species we've never seen before'

'But I thought the panther was its own species.'

'Actually it's any black coloured variant of a group called the Panthera genus, panthers are usually just black jaguars or leopards.'

Laura nodded. She still didn't really get all the sciency stuff, but she trusted that Laf knew what they were talking about. In fact now that they were less worried, LaFontaine looked positively excited.

'You know what this means right?' They asked Laura.

'Uh, more mess and indefinite custody of the roommate from hell?'

Laf raised their eyebrows at Laura. 'No, it means we've discovered a new species'

'Yay?' The idea obviously didn't blow Laura away as much as Laf wanted it to.

'Come on, this is great. We get to be the first to record its behaviour and study its origins. Who knows we might even be on the front cover of New Scientist.' Their next suggestion they seemed to assume would win the argument. 'It also means we get to name it!'

'Great. We'll call it Paul.' Laura said, her lack of excitement in direct contrast to Laf.

'Ok, firstly Laura, obviously I'm not for gender boundaries and everything, but I'm pretty sure that cat's a female. Secondly I meant the Latin name of the species. Not a name that lasts the short span of its life, a name that will be used for centuries to come.'

Laura still wasn't thrilled, but there was something contagious about her friend's excitement. 

'I'll give you the honour'

Laf beamed. 'I hoped you would. I'm thinking _Panthera mica_ would work well.' Obviously they had thought this over, 'Mica is this really cool group of phyllosilicate minerals. In Latin it means crumb or small. The name would work well since it is so much smaller than any of the other Panthera species.' 

'Well, since that's sorted can we work out how I am going to live alongside a mici panther.'

' _Panthera mica_. And I'd say don't let it out, but keep it in here for now. We'll need to try a number of food types but I imagine red meat will be the best option. Now as for your own safety, I know your Dad is a raging paranoid and sends you day of the week bearspray. However, this is still a wild animal and therefore unpredictable.' 

Laf stood up and moved towards Laura crouching down.

'I want you to pretend I am the cat. You've forgotten your bearspray and other weaponry and I'm angry. What do you do.'

Within seconds Laf was face down on the bed with Laura's knee digging into their back. Laura had twisted their arm back to an uncomfortable position.

They both jumped at the sound of a gentle knocking. A red faced Danny was standing in the open doorway. Laura's face soon matched in hue. Shit, she'd forgotten.

Danny shifted, 'Uh, someone let me in downstairs. Is this a bad time?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to let me know what you think so far in the comments. Also, you can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	4. Chapter 4

For a moment Laura remained frozen. Then she hurriedly jumped up. Laf picked themself up from the bed and sat on its side rubbing their shoulder. 

'No, no, it's not a bad time Danny. Come in.' Her words were rushed. She lied, it was very bad timing. 

Danny nodded, tentatively treading into the room. Laf glanced up and her, then looked to Laura, and back again. It took them a couple of seconds to cotton on to the tension in the room. 

'I should probably get back to Perry.' They said standing up, 'I'll see you later.' Laf made a swift exit leaving the two girls standing facing each other.

'So, um, your partner seems nice.' Danny smiled weakly before moving her eyes around the room and down to the floor. She seemed at a loss for anything else to say.

Laura was stuck also for a moment. She thought the girl's embarrassment was because two grown adults were play fighting, not because they were doing something... more. 

'Oh, Laf's just a freind. There's nothing like that between us.'

Danny seemed to visibly relax. 'Phew, I'm glad.' She realised what she'd said and tightened up again. 'I don't mean because that means you're single or anything, it's because I'm glad I didn't get in the way of.. Um..'

'Who said I'm single?' Laura said, a sly grin on her face. The redhead seemed to retreat further into herself. Laura felt bad, 'Hey, I'm only kidding.' Damn, she had probably scared Danny away for life. 

'What were you actually doing though?' She asked. 

Laura cringed. 'I was demonstrating some self defence techniques.' She hoped Danny wouldn't think she was weird.

She nodded though and grinned. 'Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you.'

Laura chucked, relieved, Danny seemed to think it was pretty cool. 

Danny sat on the edge of the bed. Laura sat in her desk chair for half a second before standing up and exclaiming 'Oh sorry, I'm a terrible host. Do you want a drink? I have snacks, would you like a snack? I have peanut butter, grape soda, snack cakes...' 

Laura was rummaging through the bag behind her, but Danny stopped her with a chuckle. 

'How are you even still alive. You know that stuff is packed with chemicals.' With the amount of comments on her sugar filled diet already today, Laura was beginning to think the might have a point.

'Sorry, just my crazy health obsession kicking in.' Danny said, 'Anyway since the day has brightened up I was wondering it you wanted to go for that walk you didn't get to do yesterday.'

'Sure.' It was a really good idea. Laura needed to get away from the flat so she could forget about the cat. Damn, actually she had forgotten. She looked down at the sleeping bundle of fur. 'Uh, before we go I need to lock away this food and stuff. I'm looking after this stray cat for Laf'

Danny turned and noticed the cat lying next to her for the first time. She pretty much jumped up, before moving to the opposite side of the room and sitting on that bed instead. 

'It's a real pain actually,' Laura added, 'and the reason for my room being such a mess. It kind of went on a rampage last night.'

'Laf's the person I just met right? Seems a bit unfair to leave you with her. What's her name?' Danny turned her head to the side.

'Haven't given it one yet, just in Latin.' Danny looked confused. Laura realised that wasn't normal to to give a scientific name to your pet. 'I mean the name we gave it is in Latin. Mici. Latin for small apparently.'

Danny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion even more. 'Don't you mean Mica? Like those minerals?' 

Laura wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or impressed. 'Right. Mica, that's what I meant.'

Danny chuckled 'Should make its second name Rall. It's Swabian German for screeching cat. Mica Rall. Small screeching cat.'

Okay, since when Danny was some kind of languages genius? Laura guessed she hadn't really known the girl that long. It was extremely impressive though, and led her to wondering what other tricks the girl hid up her sleeve.

'Mica Rall.' Laura repeated, 'I don't know why, but it has a certain ring to it.' She chuckled 'Describes her perfectly though.'

Laura picked up her rucksack and put some things in it for the walk. She put on some better shoes for walking in before turning to face Danny.

'Do you think I need to go and get some food for it before we go?' 

Danny shrugged, 'Cats are tough creatures, it should be fine. Oh and pack some swimming stuff.'

Laura raised an eyebrow, 'Where for?'

Danny shrugged, 'it's a surprise'

Laura placed her bathing suit into the top of her bag. She shut the window and locked away the remainder of her food in a cupboard. 'Right, let's go.'

Danny stood and followed Laura out of the room. Laura turned back and made sure she had locked her room before they went outside. She knew some cats had a knack for opening doors.

Outside had gotten as sunny as the day before had been. They walked out to the bus stop where they'd first met. Thankfully the buses were running again. Laura smiled as Danny let Laura go in front of her as they they stepped on board.

To get to the best part of the woods the bus ride was about half an hour. Laura didn't mind though. It was nice getting to just sit and chat some more with Danny.

Apart from them there were only a handful of people on the bus. Slowly the scenery out of the window dissolved from rows of houses to rows of trees. By the time they reached the inner forest they were the only people left in the bus.

Laura was surprised there wasn't more people taking advantage of the good weather. Eventually they reached their stop and stepped out. Laura watched the bus kick up dust behind it as it drove away down the small empty road.

Laura stretched before turning to Danny. 'Right, woman with the map, where are we going.'

Danny chuckled. 'I didn't bring a map.'

Laura's stomach dropped. It wasn't like there were paths around here to follow. 'But you said don't worry about me bringing mine.'

'Relax Hollis, I know these woods like the back of my hand. It's this way.' 

Danny began walking off into the trees. Laura paused, before starting after her. 

Laura had no idea where she was. It was difficult to worry for long. The sun shone down through the greenery above their heads. All around them was the sound of the wind gently rustling leaves.

Despite Danny's pace naturally being faster than Laura's they soon settled into a comfortable rhythm together. After about an hour of walking Laura could hear the sound of rushing water.

'Is that what I think it is?' Laura turned to Danny.

As they reached the clearing Laura giggled. She'd heard that there was a waterfall somewhere in the woods. It wasn't marked on any maps though so she'd never been able to find it.

'Wow. Just wow.' Laura said as she looked down into the crystal water filling its basin. A stream of water cascaded down from a rocky outcrop.

'So this is what the swimming stuff is for, huh?' Laura smiled.

Danny gave her a fake blank expression 'What? No, that's for the underwater restaurant later.' She broke into a grin. 

'Oh so there's a restaurant later?' Asked Laura, eyebrow raised.

Danny laughed 'Who knows, maybe, unless we get lost in these wood and can never find our way out. Wait here for a second' Danny jogged off back towards the woods.

'What so you can abandon me in the forest?' Laura joked.

'No, you'll see.' Danny called back. 

Laura used the opportunity of Danny being gone to change into her swimming costume. She walked over to the edge and stepped in. The coolness of the water contrasted excellently with the heat of the day.

 

On the ridge Laura heard the sound of splashing. She looked up and saw Danny walk to the edge of the precipice.

Laura was quite literally stunned by how beautiful the girl was. A thin layer of water clung to her body making it shine in the sunlight. The light illuminated her hair and it rippled like fire in the wind. Danny took a band from her wrist pulling the hair back into a bun. 

Laura couldn't tear her eyes away from the athlete's taught stomach muscles. Her deep grey swimming shorts and top were already wet from moving through the top stream.

Laura marveled at this Amazon as she finally turned and looked at Laura. Laura shook her head, realising she was staring way too much. It was difficult to stop drinking in the vision of the redhead. 

Laura was kicked out of her reverie as Danny stepped to the very edge. She was about to call out, but Danny obviously knew what she was doing.

She assumed a perfect dive position. Danny breathed in before with a fluid motion of her muscles propelling herself up off the rock platform, and headfirst towards the water below. She entered the water with barely a ripple. A few moments later she reemerged. Laura was breath taken. Danny swum closer to her before standing in the shallower waters.

'You are incredible!' Laura exclaimed, wide eyed. 'I mean the dive. Where on earth did you learn to dive like that?'

Danny smiled shyly, 'I used to come here a lot as a kid.'

'Well that explains how you knew it was deep enough. I was so worried you might hit a rock or something'

'Nah, it's perfectly safe. You should have a go.' 

Laura laughed, 'No way.' She began to wade out to where Danny was standing. 'You should try out for the college dive team'

'I thought about it.' Danny replied, 'But I think I want to focus on running and the summer society for now.'

That was understandable. Laura felt busy enough sometimes with college work, without the burden of lots of extracurricular activities.

She tried to reach where Danny was by wading, but was soon out of her depth. The water was only chest height on Danny but Laura had to swim to get to where she was. Danny chuckled as Laura trod water next to her.

She turned and they both swam to the middle of the large pool. Laura was a strong swimmer, but the current kept her from being able to get very close to the falling water. Further away though the current was minimal.

Laura lay on the surface of the water, soaking up the sun's rays. Danny was lying a metre or so away from her. After a while Danny spoke up 'You know, You should try jumping from the top.'

Laura changed to treading water. Danny did the same, facing her. 'I'm really not so great at diving' Laura replied.

'No, jumping I said. You can do that. You'll just need to keep your arms and legs straight when you hit the water.' Laura didn't know. She glanced up at the ledge. It was a good ten metres drop. Even just jumping seemed risky.

'Come on Hollis,' Danny grinned, 'Where's your sense of adventure?' 

Laura gritted her teeth. 'Okay, how do I get up there?'

'There's a little path through the undergrowth to the side.'

Laura left the water and walked to the edge of the wood. She couldn't decide whether the sensation of warm dry earth against her bare feet was pleasant or not. It definately wasn't when she accidentally stepped on thorns or the sharper rocks. A path wasn't really that obvious. Laura fought her way through a few brambles before reaching the top. She noticed Danny's bag resting by a tree.  
Laura waded over to the outcrop. It felt higher than it looked from below. She looked back over towards the path she had come from. Below Danny called out encouragement. Laura steeled herself. She moved her toes to the very edge. 

Her usual sense of balance was wrecked. She teetered, feeling like she could fall any second. How Danny had managed to keep such composure was beyond her.

Laura looked determinedly at the space in front of her. She jumped. She closed her eyes as she fell. It took her by surprise as she entered the water.

Her mind momentarily flickered to a memory. She couldn't remember much, but she had fallen. There was no ground, then there was no light. She couldn't breathe. A shadow of a face moved across her mind. 

Laura kicked, propelling herself to the surface. All traces of darkness left her thoughts once she broke the surface and opened her eyes to the sunlight.

Danny was clapping from the shallows. Laura swam over. 'Pretty ballsy Hollis. I didn't know if you'd have the guts.' 

Laura splashed water at Danny. Danny raised both eyebrows grinning, 'You want a water fight short stuff? Bring it.' Danny picked up a wave of water and sped it in Laura's direction. Laura gave a quick succession of light counter attacks. Danny covered her eyes, blindly sending water in Laura's direction. Laura moved to her side, ready for the final strike once Danny uncovered her face.

Danny stopped throwing water, aware that she was no longer being attacked. She slowly lowered her hand. Laura yelled, launching into her attack. Danny turned and grabbed her wrists. Laura suddenly noticed the lack of distance between them. The water fell back to itself, but then there was silence.

Laura stared with chestnut eyes up into the deep blue of Danny's. She could see the intricate detail of those webs of colours. Laura was intensely aware of that strong body, inches from her own. She was also overly aware of the lips in her peripheral vision. It was a strain to try and drink them in without moving her gaze from the other girl's eyes.

Danny faltered first. Her eyes flickered down Laura's face, resting on her lips. Laura was sure her heart was going to beat right out of her chest any moment. They both stood, frozen. 

A sharp crack sounded back at the treeline. The trance was broken. Danny snapped her head round towards the sound. She appeared hyper alert for a moment, before turning back to Laura. 

Danny realised she was still holding Laura's wrists and released them. She half smiled. 'Was there really a winner there?'

Their competition had stopped the moment Danny's hands had moved to hers. 'I think you probably won.' Laura replied. 

Danny walked towards the side. She could just about hear Danny murmur to herself, 'It doesn't feel like it.'

They both sat in the shallows where the water was only about a foot high. Every so often Laura would pick up a smooth rock and launch it to the center of the pool. There was a pleasant silence occasionally punctured by pieces of conversation.

Laura was a metre or so away from Danny. She would have sat closer. She was unsure of whether that was something the other girl wanted. Laura liked Danny. A lot. But that didn't necessarily mean the other girl shared her feelings. 

Laura was almost grateful for the snap in the trees. She was sure she would have leaned in, closing the distance, if it had been one second more. Her skin was drawn to Danny's. Heat had flickered over its surface with the proximity.

It had only been a day. Laura had to keep reminding herself of that. She knew it sounded cheesy, but it felt like they had known each other for years. But It was still too soon to assume that Danny felt anything more towards her than polite companionship.

Laura lay, propped up by her elbows. She watched as the droplets of water lying on her stomach evaporated. She scooped up another handful, re-soaking her skin. It was mid afternoon but the sun was still intense and the air was dry. The water separated itself out across her skin like small crystals. 

The coolness soon evaporated again, so Laura rolled onto her front. She glanced up at Danny, who squinted down at her contentedly.

Laura watched as the tips of her brown hair spread out under the water next to her arms. A drowsiness seeped into Laura's bones. She would have rested her head on her arms it it weren't for the water.

It was pleasant. They stayed in the water for a while before getting out. As they moved to the shade beneath a tree Laura combed through her wet hair with her fingers. 

'Hey, did you bring a towel?' Laura asked.

Danny shook her head. 'We'll soon dry out if we lie here for a bit.' Danny moved over to the trunk and lay against it. The tree was wide so there was space for Laura to move herself down next to her.

The light lay dappled on the ground. The light green leaves filtered out the sun's intensity. Lying next to Danny Laura felt content. She listened to the cascading water as she drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you think it's going in the comments below. You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	5. Chapter 5

Laura awoke with a start. The sun had abandoned the sky and there was a chill in the air. The intense colour of earlier in the day seemed like a dream. Laura shivered. Her costume had dried, but didn't offer much protection from the wind. 

Laura's right shoulder was warm where it leant against Danny's. She realised her head had fallen against the shoulder of the redhead as they'd slept.

Laura's rucksack lay to her side. She leant over and grabbed its strap, dragging it closer. She threw on some layers over her swimsuit. She turned to Danny who was still asleep by her side. Laura got out a jumper and tried to cover as much of the girl as she could.

Laura huddled into Danny's side. She didn't want to wake her, but didn't want her to catch a cold either. 

Laura was still in a state somewhere between sleep and being awake. She could still remember her dreams. The memories were fractured, only vague recollections of detail lingered in her mind. 

Laura wallowed in her memories. She tried to lull herself back into a dream like state to piece together the broken images that she could recall. It felt like she must have dreamt a lot. Many seemingly disconnected visions flitted in then out of her mind's grasp. She could only remember a new part of the dream, by forgetting another.

The one thing that seemed to preside over the alienated storylines was a heaviness. Laura's heart still ached with the remainder of something that felt like being lost, or losing something. Laura comforted herself with the idea that she still had Danny next to her. But she still couldn't completely shake the feeling.

The chill began to creep through Laura's clothes. If she was cold, Danny would probably be freezing. The jumper barely managed to fall over the whole of her torso, let alone her long limbs. Laura rubbed her eyes and shook her head. She felt groggy. 

Laura shook Danny's shoulder softly. The redhead murmured, but remained motionless.

'Hey', Laura spoke, 'Danny, Wake up.' 

The girl's eyes remained shut. Laura reached her hand up to the side of Danny's face and pulled her hair back. She blew gently in her ear.

Finally Danny stirred. She lifted a hand to her ear then grumbled. She lifted her arms in the air to stretch. As soon as they fell back down she was alert. She looked at the ground around her then turned to Laura. 

She looked slightly puzzled. 'I left my phone in my bag, do you have the time?' 

Laura unzipped the side pocket of her rucksack and rummaged about. Amidst plastic wrappers and receipts she felt the cool plastic of her phone and pulled it out.

She pressed the power button, but the screen remained dark.

'Ah, I may have forgotten to charge it last night. Wait a sec, my watch is somewhere in here.'

Laura found her watch and looked at the hands before putting it on.

'Uh yah, it's going on seven'

Danny's eyes widened slightly. 'We should probably start heading back, I've no idea what time the buses run until today. Let me just get my bag.'

It was only when the tall girl stood up that she noticed the jumper. It had fallen to the ground. Danny bent over to pick it up. 

'What's this' she asked

'I put it over you to make sure you didn't get cold.'

Danny was still, then handed the jumper back to Laura. 'You shouldn't have. You're shivering. Put it on.' She then turned and walked into the woods.

Laura was grateful that Danny had gone for her bag. As she pulled the jumper over her head it got stuck. She was blinded and flailed about until she could escape. 

She hauled her bag onto her shoulders. A few moments later Danny emerged, redressed, into the clearing. She looked slightly stressed.

'Hey Laura, you didn't touch my bag did you?'

Laura was puzzled, 'No, why have you lost something?'

Danny nodded, then turned her head, scanning the surrounding treeline.

'What was it? Shall we go back and look for it?' 

Danny shook her head. 'Doesn't matter. Let's get back before it gets dark.'

The walk back to the bus stop was less pleasant than the morning. Danny remained silent for most of the journey. She seemed to be deep in thought. Every so often she would turn her head back towards Laura as if she was going to say something. Each time she remained silent.

Laura felt a distance between them. It didn't seem like the girl had bad feelings towards her. It just seemed like conversation had dried up. There was quite obviously something else entirely pressing on Danny's mind.

Eventually they got to the road. Despite not following a path Danny had led them directly to the bus stop pole they had gotten off at earlier. Danny walked straight over to the pole and scanned the bus times written on the side. She moved her eyes closer to the board to be able to read the letters in the half light.

She frowned as she straightened up again. 'Crap. We missed the last one'

Laura laughed, 'Looks like we're developing a habit'

This finally brought a smile to the ginger's face. 'I know. I don't usually get the bus to the woods so it didn't occur to me. And it's a Sunday, of course they aren't going to run late.'

'How far a walk is it back?'

'About thirty miles.' Laura's face dropped. Even at a good pace that'd mean they'd be back past midnight. She didn't fancy walking that far either. 

'Oh. Taxi then?'

'That may be a problem.' Danny pulled her phone out the side of her bag. The cracked screen was hanging on by wires to the main casing. 'It's completely dead'

Laura's eyes widened, 'What the hell? When did that happen?'

Danny sighed, 'Some animal must have gotten into my bag.'

'Did it get anything else?'

'A few things. Don't worry about the phone though, it was like really old. I can get a new one easily enough.'

Laura huffed, 'That sucks.'

'Yeah, don't worry about it though. Our main problem right now is how we're going to get back.'

Laura thought through options. Laf would probably be happy to give them a lift but there was no way of reaching them. That was her one other idea. She shrugged, 'I can't think of any other way except walking.' She laughed, 'we could always just camp out in the woods overnight'

It wasn't a serious suggestion but Danny's head snapped up. She gazed at Laura for a few seconds as if in thought. 'By the morning the buses will be running again. That may be a better option.'

'What so just lie under some trees until morning? It'd be freezing and I'm pretty sure we'd get no sleep. It'd be better to walk.'

'We wouldn't need to do that. There's an abandoned wood cabin about an hour from here. It's old and dusty, but it's probably our best option.'

Laura nodded. 'Sure. Lead on.'

If keeping up with Danny's pace had seemed tough earlier, it felt nearly impossible now. Laura's stomach rumbled and she could feel the contours of her boots wearing into the skin of her feet.

A combination of tiredness and the increasing night lulled Laura into a daze. Even flat ground felt uneven, and roots seemed to leap out of the darkness, trying to catch her feet.

Her mind began playing tricks on her, weaving reality with abstract remnants of her dreams. In the trees to her side a black shape hovered, obscured by the darkness. It seemed to follow her movements. One moment it seemed large, almost as big as herself, then it was small. Laura ignored it. 

It darted off ahead. Laura couldn't see where it went but it was as if she could still sense its presence. God she hated the night. The air was so quiet that Laura's mind reverberated with the sound of her footsteps.

Mostly she ignored the dark shapes that seemed to loom in the trees around her. Laura felt too tired to be scared. Besides, Danny's silhouette just in front of her was a reassurance that nothing bad would happen.

Danny seemed to exude an aura of protectiveness. Unlike Laura she clearly wasn't tired. Although Laura couldn't see her well, she could hear her footsteps. For such a tall girl they were oddly light. Her paces sounded certain, as if she knew the contours of the ground before she placed her foot to it. 

Laura tripped again on a rock or something. Danny turned her head momentarily. She was obviously alert. 'You holding up alright? It shouldn't be too long, only about half a mile more.'

Laura nodded, then said she was okay out loud when she remembered that Danny couldn't see her. 

Eventually the house materialised past the trees in front of them. It was in a small clearing so Laura could see its log walls gently illuminated in the moonlight. On the edge facing them there was only a window.They had to walk around to the opposite side to find the entrance. 

Danny stepped inside first, stamping her feet on the ground inside the entrance. The ground outside was dry so Laura's boots weren't muddy, but she copied Danny anyway as she followed her in. 

Laura left the door open beside her and stood just inside. She couldn't see Danny, but she could hear her moving about in the darkness within.

'One minute, I just need to find some matches'

There was the sound of a drawer being opened. Moments later Laura heard a match being struck. Danny moved the small light across into a lantern. The taper lit and Danny shook out the match. As the glass was moved down over the small flame, light spread out, illuminating the edges of the hut.

'Good thing it still had oil in it.' Danny turned to Laura. 'You should come inside more. Shut the door too, it's still cold in here. I'll get the fire started in a bit, but you look hungry.'

All Laura could do was nod. She moved across and sat down heavily on a wooden chair. Danny was crouched in front of a small cupboard and was rifling through. 

'How do you feel about...' Danny peered at a label, 'Oh wow, tinned Renpaté. Basically reindeer pâté. Look, you even get a picture of Rudolph on the side.' Laura wrinkled her nose.

'Eww, who would even buy that? Is there anything else in there?'

'There's a plate of gingerbread. I don't trust them though, who knows when they were baked.' It was a shame, Laura could have done with something sweet. 

'Ah, this could be better.' Laura saw Danny reach all the way to the back of the unit. She pulled out another two cans. 'Not too bad, tinned peaches and...' She glanced at the next can 'All day breakfast. Interesting.'

Danny emptied its contents into a pan and put it on top of a wood burner. She promptly got a fire going inside and sat back on her heels, watching the flames. 'May take a while to heat up' Danny said.

Laura bent down to untie her laces. She could hear Danny moving about the kitchen things again. She struggled to pull her boot off.

'Hey, let me help you with that.' Danny placed a bowl onto the table to Laura's side. She crouched down and held Laura's ankle firmly whilst pulling at the boot. It came off easily enough. Danny did the same for the other one. 

'Thanks.'

Danny looked up and smiled. 'I know it's the wrong order, but I opened the peaches. Waiting isn't fun when you're hungry.' Laura nodded, she picked up the spoon next to the bowl and began to eat. Danny sat on an adjacent stool.

Laura was curious, 'so who owns this place?' she asked. 

'I don't think its owned by anybody. In the right season it's used by hunters. Apart from that I'm pretty sure it remains empty.'

Laura nodded. 'Wait a minute, you're not eating.'

Danny smiled, 'I don't need to, you look hungry. You take it.'

Laura raised her eyebrows. 'No way. I'm not taking your share. Here.' Laura placed the spoon in Danny's hand. 'Eat.' Laura gestured with both hands towards the bowl. 

Danny stared at Laura. Laura looked with emphasis at the bowl and back to Danny. Danny gave in and pulled the bowl towards herself. 

After a while she handed the spoon back to Laura to finish and made her way back over to the pan.

'I think this is done.' She carried the pot and rested it on the top of the cupboard before getting out a plate with a fork. 'This place really doesn't have much' Danny frowned. 'Not even a knife.'

She brought the food over on the plate. 'Not exactly the restaurant dinner I was planning.' Laura smiled at the joke. Danny set down the plate and took a seat. Laura had to admit it didn't look appetising, but she was hungry enough to eat anything. 

Laura noticed that Danny ate way less than her fair share. She didn't complain though, at least she had managed to get the girl to take something. After they had finished Laura felt slightly better. 

'Wait there a minute.' Danny smiled and stood up, and moving over to the small bed in the corner of the room. 'I have something that will make your day' 

'Okay?' Laura was sure her heart rate picked up. Wow her mind was in overdrive when it came to Danny. She saw her grab the side of the bad and drag it sideways. Laura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. 

Danny lifted up a floorboard from where the bed-leg was. She lay down and reached into the gap, pulling out a box. 

She opened it and rummaged about. 'There should be a thing of chocolate powder in here.' She lifted up a jar, 'yup, here it is.'

Laura felt her mouth water in anticipation, 'How did you know that was there?' 

'Just a _really_ good sense of smell.' Danny laughed. 'Just kidding, I've been here a couple of times before.'

Whilst Danny was making the hot chocolate in the pan, Laura wandered over to the window.

A layer of fog had rolled in and hovered around the hut. Laura thought how beautiful it looked in the moonlight. It blurred the dark trees, making the whole scene look kinda gothic.

Infact, it looked just like the set of a scary movie. Great, Laura though to herself, now she'd made herself paranoid about shapes moving about in the fog. 

Laura looked back inside the cabin. Much better. The warm glow of the lantern and fire illuminated the inside. It felt safe, secure. The shadows of the night couldn't reach her in here.

Laura looked back out into the fog. Her eyes had readjusted to the light so it was harder to see through the darkness outside. That must have been what it was. Laura told herself there hadn't been a figure standing there in the clearing. 

But then, she could have sworn she saw something. Laura pressed her face to the window, cupping out the light with her hands to the side of her eyes. Maybe it was a deer or something.

The figure had moved, it was now standing further to the left. It always seemed to be facing the house. Laura tried to convince herself that it was a combination of her imagination and the swirling blackness outside. There wasn't something watching her.

Besides, the shape moved like no creature could. From moment to moment it flitted from side to side of Laura's vision. Sometimes closer, sometimes further. It was difficult to make out more than just a shadow.

Laura started shuffling her feet. It was unpleasant not being able to see properly. For a moment she was tempted to go outside and take the lantern with her. She swiftly pushed that idea from her mind. That's how people got killed in horror films. 

It appeared again. Okay, it was definately just her imagination. Laura relaxed. The shadow had come closer this time and Laura thought she had seen the face of a girl from her dream. She had forgotten what it looked like, but the whole scene must have triggered her memory. 

If she was seeing stuff from her dreams, it wasn't real. Laura still didn't like it though. The face made her feel uncomfortable, it refilled her with emotions she'd rather forget. Laura turned back into the room, closing the curtains behind her.

'Well you look spooked,' Danny said looking up from the pan.

Laura shook her head, 'tiredness and darkness isn't a good combination.'

'You should lie down, I'll get some blankets.'

Laura sat on the side of the bed. Danny pulled a few of the blankets out of a chest and brought them over. 

'One second, I'll just get your hot chocolate.' Laura felt bad having Danny pamper her like this.

There was only one mug, but Laura made Danny share the drink. They sat on the edge of the bed with the blanket lying over their knees. 

Once it was finished. Danny yawned. 'I think it's time for sleep,' she said. Danny stood, picking up another blanket. 'Are you alright here?' She asked Laura. 

'Yeah, this is fine.'

'Great. I'll turn out the light.' Laura lay down and pulled the blanket over her. There was no pillow, but there were plenty of blankets so she rolled up one of those instead.

The lantern was blown out, then she watched Danny reduce the fire to embers. She heard a blanket being shaken, then nothing.

'Hey Danny?' Laura began, 'what are you doing?'

There was silence. Then the girl replied. 'Sleeping?'

'No, I mean why are you sleeping on the floor?'

'It's okay, I don't mind.' That wasn't what Laura meant.

'But there is enough space here.' 

Laura heard Danny turn, 'Are you sure?'

'Of course, it not like we're strangers anymore. It's fine. Besides it'll be warmer, for me too.'

Laura heard Danny stand. She shuffled over to make room for Danny. She could just about make out the form of the girl as she settled her weight down next to her. 'Thanks,' Danny whispered before shutting her eyes.

Laura felt the other girl's muscles relax as she settled down into sleep. Laura remained tense. She closed her eyes, but it was no good. A thousand thoughts flitted around her mind.

Then she remembered the cat. She had left it locked in the room. It was malnourished and she had locked it in a room all day with no food. The cat probably wouldn't make it until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was a day late! I have had end of year essays all week. Anyway, the normal schedule of updates every Friday will resume next week.
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.


	6. Chapter 6

Laura panicked. Could she go to jail for animal abuse? Would she be responsible for the loss of an unknown and probably endangered species? She knew that at the very least she would have to carry the guilt for the death of an innocent creature.

Well, maybe not so innocent. But still, death by starvation was horrific. Hell, even it deserved better. She couldn't just stay in the cabin and let her die, she had to do something. 

Laura sat up and quietly got out of bed. She considered waking Danny to say where she was going, but then decided against it. There was no way Danny would let Laura leave without her. It was pointless two of them making the long journey.

Laura grabbed her reporter's notepad out of her bag and wrote Danny a note. She put on her boots then threw on her coat as she grabbed the handle of her rucksack and rushed out of the door. 

Mist still surrounded the house. It was thick, completely blinding Laura, but she just ran. Trees loomed up in the fog. Laura almost hit a number of them as they appeared just metres in front of her. 

Laura drew a map in her head of where the road would be and ran towards it. The ground felt alien beneath her feet. Each time her foot moved down through the darkness she didn't know when or if it would strike the earth. 

A branch caught the side of her face. Laura slowed. She was going to get seriously injured if she carried on like this. Lifting her hand to just below the eye Laura felt the wet blood. 

Rather than stop Laura was just more careful. She held her hands before her and began a fast stride. They had walked six miles southwest to get to the cabin. That was roughly in the direction of Silas, so she calculated there was probably maximum twenty five miles more to get home. It was ten thirty. If she made a fast pace, then woke Laf for a lift she could make it there by three. 

Hopefully the cat would still be fine. Laura wasn't prepared to gamble on a life though. She pulled the zip up higher on her hoody and pushed on through the darkness. 

It had been a while and there was still no road. Laura began to panic. In the gaps through the trees she could make out the North Star over her right shoulder. That meant she should have hit a road already. There were two that cut across any route going vaguely east so there was no way she should have been able to miss it.

Laura shook her head in an attempt to remove the images that kept building up. She saw the cat's form lying, motionless, on her carpet. She saw Laf's crushed look as she revealed the death. She saw them carrying the body to the woods, and herself digging. Then Laura saw her mother's name on a driftwood cross. The flood of emotion filled her mind again, followed by the vast emptiness.

Laura broke into a run. She moved faster this time. The trees whipped past her. They snagged her hair. A few times her jumper caught and tore. She only realised there were tears in her eyes when the wind blew, chilling the water covering her cheeks. 

The air felt like it was tearing her throat as it moved in and out of her lungs. There was still no road. She was lost. And so were her chances of saving the cat. Laura physically couldn't run anymore. She collapsed, kneeling in front of a yew tree, and pressed her forehead to the bark. Why, she asked herself, had she been so stupid as to leave an already starving animal with no food. It was a problem that could have been so easily solved, had she just looked beyond her own position.

Closing her eyes to the black fog surrounding her, Laura attempted to shut out such thoughts from her mind. They were not going to save her now. Laura felt her ragged breaths subside and her tears dry up. She was tired, her feet were tired. The practical difficulties of her own situation began to weigh heavily upon her. The hundreds of miles of woodland surrounding Silas when she first moved had seemed like a dream. Laura would have laughed at the irony if she wasn't fearful about her chances of ever leaving the forest. 

A chill reworked itself into her system. The night had gotten cold. She should at least keep walking to avoid hypothermia.

Standing, Laura reopened her eyes. She placed one foot in front of the other. She had to keep going.

Ahead of her the darkness swirled. Again she saw it. A formless being hovered just inside her field of vision. It was the size of a human. Laura knew she should be scared but she just wasn't anymore. When you are already in darkness, a little more doesn't matter so much.

Laura turned her steps towards the shape. It didn't flit like it had done outside the cabin, but stayed constant. As she moved towards it, it moved away.

After a while she was just following it. Laura's mind drained of all thoughts as she blindly continued on. 

It seemed as if it stayed that that forever. Laura barely noticed the pain in her feet anymore. Eyes set on the shadow, the journey was a blur. At some point Laura was sure she had passed through an abandoned village. At the edge stood a church, but its roof had fallen in many years before.

Occasionally the shape would wait for longer. She would get close enough for the shadow to begin forming an outline. It was definately human. She could tell no more than that. As she picked up her pace it would merge into darkness again and move further away.

Laura began noticing the trees to her sides. They were getting closer together, enough to block out the moonlight. They became so thick that Laura felt as it she were walking through a tunnel. She could no longer see her hand in front of her face. 

Although Laura could no longer see the shadow, she sensed that it was still ahead. Holding her hands out she felt her way through the path down which it was taking her.

Then up ahead there was a glimmer of light. Laura could see where the trees opened up again. As Laura stepped forwards she saw the shape in the moonlight. It stood with its back to her, but Laura could now see that it was a woman. 

She was still blurred, but Laura could just about make out the waves of hair falling against her back. Realisation dawned on Laura. She knew who this was. 

A lump rose in her throat. Before she knew it she was running. 

The figure began to dissolve back into mist. Laura shouted out, breaking the silence of the forest. 

By the time Laura reached the spot she had gone. All that was left was a faint hint of the black haze. A breath of wind moved past, taking it with it.

Laura stood for a moment. She almost sat down and waited for its return, but then she remembered the cat. She needed to get out of this forest. 

Laura continued on forwards, the trees thinning out. Within minutes she hit a road. This was where she had been leading Laura. It didn't take much longer to get to where she could see the lights of Silas ahead.  
When she reached the town she was on the west side, which didn't make much sense. Laura didn't complain.

Responsibility for the cat still laid heavy on her mind. She would have moved faster, but her feet would no longer allow it. 

Laf's house was closest to where she was. It would be quicker to get back if she got a lift. 

She walked up the front path and stood in-front of the door. Laura lifted her hand to knock. It would be really thoughtless to wake them up. On the other hand she really needed to get back to the cat.

Her decision making was cut short. The door clicked open. Perry looked out with a puzzled look on her face.

'I thought I heard something outside. It nice to see you Laura, why don't you come in?'

Apparently Perry wasn't asking. She had turned back around and was making her way to the kitchen. Laura had begun to say that she needed to speak to LaFontaine.

Laura rushed in after her. Perry put the cloth she was holding on the kitchen counter and took off her rubber gloves.

'Can I get you something Laura? We have orange juice, coffee, there's probably some...'

Laura cut her off. 'Perry. I really need to speak to Laf. Like now.' Laura blurted the words out. Perry looked shocked for a second. Then her eyebrows raised in panic.

'Oh, Laura don't cry. I'll just get them now.' 

Perry darted out of the room. Moments later LaFontaine walked through the door. They squinted at the kitchen's bright light.

'Laura? What's wrong? It's four in the morning!'

LaFontaine looked concerned, Laura had no time to explain.

'I need you to drive me over to my room. Now. Get that bag of cat food you bought.'

'Okay?' Laf closed their eyes and shook their head. 'Go wait by the car, I'll be out in a sec'

Laura put her hands in her pockets and tried not to shiver as she stood by the truck. Either it had gotten super cold outside or she was running low on energy. Laura began to scuff her shoes on the floor, shuffling back and forth as she looked back at the house.

Finally she saw LaFontaine close the front door behind them. They jogged over and unlocked the car before getting into the driving seat. 

They didn't wait for Laura to do up her seat-belt before driving away. The surprising thing was Laura didn't even care. She just needed to get back as soon as possible. 

Thankfully, and not surprisingly, the streets were empty. 

Laura kept fidgeting in her seat. Laf turned their head to look at her, then moved their eyes back to the road.

'Can I ask what this is all about?' they said.  
'I forgot to feed the cat. I left it locked in my room all day with no food.'

'And you didn't give it anything before you left either?'

'Nope. Stupid, self-centered me decided not to bother. God, what an idiot!'

'It should be okay. I mean it was starving...' they noticed Laura's eyes start to well up again, '... but cats are tough creatures. It will be fine.'

They had reached the parking lot. Laura jumped out of the car. She shouldn't have done that. A sharp pain shot through her tired feet. 

Pushing through the pain Laura ran to the front entrance before speeding up the stairs. She stopped when she reached her door.

_______________

Laura had shot off out of Laf's sight as soon as they had stopped. They got out of their truck and hurried after her. Laura was acting strangely. If they were honest they still weren't really sure what on earth was going on.

They turned into Laura's corridor and saw her staring at her door.

Laf caught up and stood behind her.

'Laura?' Laf asked, concerned.

'I don't believe it.' Laura said looking at the door which stood open.

She disappeared into the room. started looking around its edges then under covers.

'I don't believe it.' She repeated.

'I thought you locked the door?'

'I did.'

'Well at least this means it could go find some food?' Laf looked at Laura. Wrong answer.

'I am so going to kill it. I left Danny asleep and walked for hours to get here. I ran half the journey and almost killed myself doing it. I got lost in the woods, the only reason I got out was...'

Laura fell silent. Laf put down the bag of food they were carrying and walked over to her. They put their hand on her shoulder.

'Laf. I think I saw my mother.' Laura's voice sounded hollow.

They pulled her into a hug and felt her shoulders shake. They stood like that for a while in silence. Laf knew not to say anything. What was there to say anyway? 

Eventually, Laura pulled back. Laf looked into her eyes. They were red and puffy. She sniffed and pulled herself up straight.

'Right. I need to girl the hell up.' Laura said, obviously mustering up as much composure as she could. 'I guess we should go find the cat.'

She began marching out the door but Laf grabbed her hand. 

'Forget about the cat. I'm more worried about you at the moment.'

Laura turned back around. Her shoulders slumped. 

'Look,' Laf began, 'You haven't slept, and it sounds like you have gone through a lot more than anyone should ever have to. I think now you just need to sleep.'

The message seemed to sink in. Laura took a seat on the edge of her bed. Laf helped her take her boots off. She dragged herself over to the headboard. Her actions were slow and pained. Laura sat upright with her legs underneath the covers, blanket wrapped over her shoulders.

Laf would have left her to sleep but they couldn't when she was in a state like this. Whatever had happened in the forest had obviously impacted her deeply. She just stared at her covers with a blank expression on her face.

'Want me to stay?' Laf asked. Laura turned her head. She nodded and held up the corner of the cover.

Laf took the silent invite and got in next to Laura. She leaned her head on their shoulder and settled further down into the bed.

It seemed like she'd fallen asleep within seconds. Laf glanced at her sideways, afraid any movements would wake her again. Sleep might not take away the past, but it at least lets you forget.

On the side of her face there was a cut that was bleeding. Laf had noticed it as soon as they'd seen Laura. It looked sore. 

Noise filled the room. LaFontaine nearly jumped out of their skin. Scrabbling, they pulled their phone out of their pocket and pressed answer. They glanced to their side. Good, it hadn't woken Laura.

They held their mobile to their ear.

'Hello? LaFontaine, could you answer please if you can hear me?'

'Perry?' They replied. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine thank you. Why are you whispering?'

'Laura's asleep. I'm trying not to wake her.'

'Why is she asleep?'

'I think a lot's happened to her over the past twenty-four hours.'

'Has she gotten rid of that cat yet? It really isn't sensible to keep it on university grounds you know'

'Kinda. It just went missing actually.' LaFontaine heard Perry draw in her breath on the other side of the line.

'And you're asleep?'

Oh dear, this wasn't good. They attempted to calm her down through the phone. 

'That cat is dangerous.' Perry started, 'It should not be allowed to wander the streets where normal people could be walking. What if it comes back to my house? Are we calling the police? Possibly hiring a private investigator? Mercenaries? Bloodthirsty killers for hire? We can do that, right?'

Laf was concerned that Laura would wake up. 'Its okay, Laf whispered, 'I can deal with this tomorrow.'

'Deal with this yourself? Didn't you say some nonsense about it being a panther? Look, I get that this is all fake fun for you, but you can’t just expect everyone to go along with all this insanity.'

That stung. 'Like it or not Perr, weird is the way it is.'

'That doesn't mean you need to fling yourself into every weird situation you can find headfirst.' 

Perry hung up. LaFontaine sat still holding their phone to their ear. They had to admit it was sometimes difficult when Perry worked herself up into one of her moods. Slowly they reached their arm up and placed the phone on the shelf behind them.

The day was beginning to break, light making its way through the curtains. Even so, Laura's slow breathing to their side began to make them feel tired. 

Just as they were almost asleep Laura began stirring. She turned from side to side and whimpered.

LaFontaine realised she must be having a dream about her mother. They reached their arm around Laura and held her close. It seemed to comfort her a little. They held her like that until her body relaxed and whatever it was had passed. LaFontaine listened to her breaths as they fell asleep.

_______________

Laura awoke as she felt the weight on the bed shift. She threw an arm over her eyes. Something tapped her leg.

'Urgh. What is it?' 

She felt something move across her stomach and swiftly opened her eyes. Two dark pupils were staring down at her. 

'What the Hell?!' She sat up. 

The cat was back. It held something in its mouth which it promptly dropped. After a moment of confusion Laura realised it was a bat wing. She really was going to kill the cat one of these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I hope that chapter wasn't too difficult. But then again let me know if you like the angst. You can tell me what you think in the comments below or find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	7. Chapter 7

Carmilla was offended. Really she was. Apparently Laura didn't appreciate her little gift. Even so, she could have at least tried to hide it. Carmilla had innocently been sitting on the edge of the bed and the next moment she was being shoved to the floor and shouted at. 

Really. Some people have no manners.

The child's outburst woke her scientist friend who sat up and looked around, bleary eyed.

'Wha. What is it Laura? What's happening?'

The little bundle of rage growled in exasperation. 

'The cat is back. It brought in a batwing.'

Carmilla saw the redhead lean forwards and look down to where she was sat on the floor. They blinked a few times before turning to Laura

'It probably meant it as a present.' Well at least the redhead had a little sense. Who wouldn't want a batwing? Carmilla chuckled inside.

LaFontaine furrowed their brows. They turned around to Laura. 'I wonder why it came back?'

'I have no idea, but the time has come for it to go. Mici Panther or not.'

The ginger raised their eyebrows and shook their head rapidly. 'No, Laura please keep it. Just a little while longer. We can't assume that it's safe enough to give to an animal home. A few more tests. I could take her to the bio lab. I’m sure there’s all sorts of things we could figure out through some minimally invasive probing. Please?'

Great. Carmilla thought. Perhaps the ginger wasn't so great after all. She wasn't really worried though. No doubt she'd gone through worse before. Plus here was a limit to how much their science would be able to reveal. Carmilla strongly doubted they had ever come across anything like her before.

She could always just leave of course, skip all the nonsense entirely. Carmilla questioned her reasons for remaining in the care of the annoying brat.

It would be so easy to walk out, but if she was honest she was tired of running. Her plan was to scrounge of these people for a couple of days. If she could amuse herself by messing up their things in the meantime then that was an added bonus.

Laura stood and walked to the door. She locked it. 

'If it's staying then I'm at least going to make sure it doesn't escape again. We need to work out some kind of triple lock thing on this door so nothing can open it.'

Carmilla wasn't phased. Chances were, however extensive the locks were, she would be able to get out with ease.

The ginger swung their legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. They stretched before walking over to a carrier bag.

'Hey Laura?' they called over to her, 'Got a bowl I can use?'

She remained looking at the door whilst mumbling, 'Sure, cupboard over there.' Laura waved her hand blindly in the direction of the fridge.

They strode over and, moving down to the cupboard, got out a bowl and put it on the sideboard. Carmilla could smell what was in the bag as soon as they opened it. If they thought she was going to eat dry cat food then they were wrong. 

The short haired person hesitated, then moved towards her holding the bowl. When they saw that she certainly wasn't going to run away, they set down the bowl right infront of her nose. 

The ginger looked at her expectantly. Carmilla stared back. Seriously? They expected her to eat this junk? It wasn't happening. 

The person crouched down infront of her. They pointed at the bowl, then moved around a few of the pieces with their finger. When they saw that this didn't work they picked up a few pieces, pretending to eat them. The ginger actually just hid them in palm of their hand. Lame. How on earth did they expect that to work?

They leaned back and sat on the ground infront of her. They sighed, then turned to Laura. 'I think it must have eaten when it was out or something.'

Laura hummed. She was leaning against the shelf at the head of her bed. She had that contemplative look on her face which Carmilla had noticed she wore a lot. When she wasn't angry that was.

Oh and look, Carmilla thought, here comes the anger now. Laura whipped her head round and stood up.

'Laf, you aren't using that bowl to feed it are you?'

Laf looked confused. 'Shouldn't I be?'

Laura looked perplexed. 'I eat from those bowls. I don't really want to eat out of the same bowl an animal has been eating from.'

She walked over to the cupboard and reached in, pulling out two plastic takeaway containers.

'Use this, I can just throw it away after'

She passed one to Laf and filled the other one with water. Once it was half full she turned off the tap and placed it under the window.

'I'd leave its food over here too,' Laura said, 'There's no way it would eat with you staring at it like that.' Laf nodded silently.

There was a knock at the door. 

Laura looked in confusion towards Laf, almost as if that was something which never happened.

'Come in', Laura called.

The door creaked open. Another other ginger walked in. Not the crazy one with the curly hair, the one who had obviously wasted more energy on developing height than brain power.

She rushed over to Laura and started gibbering. 

'Laura, are you okay? I got your note. You should have woken me. How did you find your way out? Did you walk that whole way?'  
The giant stared at her like some lovesick teenager. To Carmilla her whole spiel sounded like a puppy jumping up and down, begging for attention. Besides Laura didn't need protecting, she could find her way out of the woods by herself. She didn't, but she could have done. 

The intruder stopped talking, gaping at Laura. Oh God, now the naïve child had started gawping back. Obviously they had forgotten that they were in company. This had to stop. Carmilla looked at the floor and pretended to cough up a hair ball.

That seemed to work. They both seemed to jump, breaking their gaze as they turned to the source of disturbance. Laf who was still sitting next to Carmilla waved. Carmilla cringed.

Laura face had gone bright red. It was quite hilarious as she tried to hide whatever sad feelings she felt for the overgrown Labrador. 

'Oh, uhr, Danny this is LaFontaine', she blurted out.

Danny nodded, 'We've met.' 

Apparently memory loss was a symptom of embarrassment for Laura. Carmilla kept it in mind. It was something she could use later.

If Carmilla had cared she might have been offended by the look that Danny cast her. As it was, Carmilla knew she was merely a brainless cretin, so ignored her. 

Carmilla turned and hopped up onto Laura's bed. She lay down on it and rolled onto her back, stretching. She cast an eye back at Danny.

'I see Mica's still here', she growled.

LaFontaine cut in, 'Mica? Huh, cool name choice. I kinda forgot it hadn't got its own.' 

Danny merely glanced sideways at Laf and nodded. 

LaFontaine coughed then stood up, brushing off their knees. 

'Well I've probably got to get going,' they stammered, 'Uh I think I've got everything.' They patted their pockets and sweeping a glance around the room. 

'Uh, yeah, thanks for all the help and everything. I'll see you soon.' Laura said.

The ginger made their way out. As they crossed the threshold they spun back on their heel. 

'One sec', they said, holding a finger up, 'forgot this.' They pointed to the shelf behind Laura's bed and picked up their phone. They gave a quick smile to Laura and Danny before darting out.

Danny turned back to Laura. This was going to be fun. Not. Carmilla watched as the flush on Laura's cheeks darkened.

'I'm glad you got back alright.' Danny said, leaning her left shoulder against the wardrobe. 

Laura nodded. Once again they stood in silence. Carmilla thanked the gods that they were both so repressed that it'd be weeks before either of them made the first move. 

Their whole Petrachan relationship bored Carmilla. It felt too early in the morning to be awake. She nestled down into the blankets. It had been a long night.

Carmilla blanked out their voices, retreating into her own mind. Laura's bed was soft. Usually she slept wherever she could find. Recently, that tended to be next to scalding vents in alleys, or under the cooling engines of cars.

Carmilla was grateful for her vampiric constitution. It helped during the winter weeks that splinters of white fell from the sky. It was almost summer now. Carmilla thought of the warm mornings that were to come. She could sleep all day and it would never rain.

When Carmilla awoke Danny was gone. She could smell her absence before even opening her eyes. Her ears picked up the gentle clicking of Laura's keyboard. The pages of a book were turned.

Only Laura's desk lamp was on. Carmilla looked around the room. The curtains were closed. It was night and the skies would be clear. Carmilla stood and stretched back onto her hind legs. The pull of her muscles felt good. It was an evening to be outside.

She leaned over the edge of the bed and dropped down to the floor. Looking over her shoulder Carmilla checked that Laura hadn't noticed her movements. Softly she padded over to the door.

It was closed. Carmilla leaned her front paws against the wood, reaching up for the handle. She jumped and turned the handle round. It was no good. Despite still being in the room Laura had locked the door. Carmilla looked up. Even the door chain was on.

It would be so much easier if she could turn human for just a minute. Carmilla was tempted, but it would be catastrophic if Laura noticed. 

Carmilla must have meowed in frustration because Laura turned to look at her.

'Door's locked Mica,' she said, before turning back to the computer screen. 

Carmilla creeped up behind Laura and glanced at what she was looking at. Carmilla was expecting Laura to be working on an essay. Instead she was busily messaging Danny on Facebook.

Carmilla harboured an intense dislike for that girl. There was something off about her. Obviously Danny somehow knew who Carmilla was. Plus she wanted Carmilla to know she knew. The name Mica Rall couldn't be coincidence. The anagram was a warning. 

The contents of her bag hadn't been much help. It has been fun watching her react to finding her trashed things though. There was a key which Carmilla had taken. She would find out what it unlocked later. For now it was hidden under the root of a tree.

Laura noticed Carmilla watching. She reached up and turned off the monitor. Grabbing a pair of pyjamas from under her pillow, she disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door.

It could've been a chance to escape, but there was no way Laura wouldn't notice she was missing. She doubted she'd be let back in again and Carmilla wasn't ready to leave. Instead Carmilla settled for watching the stars from the windowsill.

She jumped up behind the cream curtains and sat on the thin edge. She stared up at those lights. They had been there for so much longer than herself, so much longer than her mother. Those mobile points of stability watching the earth, untouched by the millennia of life that passed below.

Carmilla heard Laura leave the bathroom and get into bed. One day that girl would be gone. One day all of the sad lives would desert this world. Carmilla would be left alone on an empty planet. The dying stars would remain her only travelling companion as they spun together through the darkness.  
Carmilla was confined to the flat for the next week. Laura had been working on her end of year papers so left the room very little. Occasionally Danny would visit and they would look through notes together. It seemed like they were both beginning to get anxious about the amount of work set.

The closer it got to her deadline, the more frustrated Laura got with anything Carmilla did. Carmilla decided to start treading lightly, but still got glared at whenever she was noticed.

LaFontaine also visited a number of times to check up on how she was doing. They were concerned when they discovered that she had lost a pound in weight. 

Carmilla continued to refuse the various cat foods they offered her. Even human food would have done nothing to dispel her hunger. Carmilla had begun risking leaving at nightimes to get blood. Sure, she still needed the room as a hiding place, but she needed to keep her energy up too.

When the second Friday came round Carmilla felt drained. She had only been lying down but her limbs were shaking, and she could feel her paws sweating. 

She was weaker than she had been in a long time. Animal blood, or some of the old stuff from a packet just couldn't cut it anymore. Pretty soon she wouldn't even have the energy to change form so she could feed.

On the Friday evening Laura went out somewhere. It wasn't perfect, Carmilla had no idea when she'd be back, but she had to leave the room.

Carmilla shifted to human. It knocked the breath out of her. She grasped the side of the cupboard for support. After a while the dizziness subsided. She remained in the room for a few minutes before leaving. 

Outside it was raining. Carmilla raised her face to the droplets. It felt good feeling the water soak into her skin. From the puddles shone thousands of tiny reflections of lights. It made the night seem alive. Breathing in deep, Carmilla felt better already.

She walked across town until she found what she was looking for. Inside the bar she ordered herself a whisky. The Talisker felt good as it moved across her tongue and pulled warmth down her cold throat. 

She found a seat in a booth where she could easily keep an eye on the bar. The table on which she placed her glass was sticky. She was one of the few people in the place. It was run down, but she knew from years ago that this type of place was perfect for hunting.

Within an hour the kind of person she was looking for walked in. Or rather stumbled. Two faint black blurs ran down her cheeks where makeup tracks had been hastily wiped off. She instantly headed to a barstool and set down heavily. Bingo.

It would be so easy. The girl was obviously vulnerable. Her whole body language suggested that she wanted to forget whatever had happened. Carmilla could make her forget alright.

Carmilla stood, killer mode on. This felt familiar. She remembered back to the days in which she had manipulated hundreds of emotionally wrecked women.

Carmilla faltered. She was halfway across the room. The side of the girl's face was visible. She was trying to keep it together. A drop of water fell from her eye which she hastily wiped away.

She looked just like Laura two weeks before when she had been crying the woods. Carmilla had been a fool and taken pity on the girl. Seemed she would do the same thing again.  
Carmilla changed her path and walked out. She looked about for somewhere a bit more upmarket. 

Two roads down and she spotted a carpet across the pavement along with two bouncers and a cordon. Not what her old self would have gone for, but she didn't want to be her anymore. She flashed the two men a smile and made her way upstairs. 

She had to pause for breath at the top. Finding herself her next real drink had become desperate. Attempting to regain her composure Carmilla walked over to the bar and ordered herself a Long Island Ice Tea. 

She remained at the bar. Within a short while her drink was almost finished. Carmilla caught a girl's eye, and tipped the last drops into her mouth before walking out into the room. She danced slowly. She didn't have the energy to do more, but this would do the trick better. 

Carmilla felt eyes on her body as her hips moved. It was a good technique, making the prey feel like they were the predator. She was patient, waiting until she was sure the fish would bite before making her move.

Camilla walked over to the blonde who had been tearing her clothes off with her eyes for the past half hour. It had been a while, but she needed to feast on real flesh. The thought of the blood flowing through her body made her feel giddy.

Carmilla pressed the woman up against the wall, reaching a hand round the back of her neck. She could feel the carotid artery throbbing. She looked deep into wide pupils and moved her lips to her ear.

'So. Shall we go?' She said softly.

Carmilla made it quick, pulling the girl into the nearest alleyway. She took what she needed. A new force powered her step as she walked away. Behind her, blood was beginning to seep slowly onto the rain soaked tarmac. A hand still twitched as empty eyes stared up at the stars.

It was a Friday night. There were too many people about. Carmilla walked into the nearest 24/7 and bought herself a bottle of whisky with the notes she had taken from the woman's purse.

It didn't take long to get out into the woods. Even so she had finished half the bottle before reaching the side of the lake. 

She sat down heavily on its bank and took another swig. It was no good. Her mouth still tasted of blood. A flood of memories rushed through her mind. The haze of her past moved itself into sharp focus.

Her mind remembered her face, a face from so long ago that it had felt like viewing it from the murky depths of the sea. Now the water was crystal clear.

Carmilla drank again, willing her past to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me at tumblr at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the Tumblr tag [#tscupdates] for chapter updates.
> 
> There will be no update next Friday. The Stray Cat will return on the 5th of June


	8. Chapter 8

Black as the pit and terrible as the night, the creature walked straight into her mind. A powerful beast with claws like knives and flashing eyes. 

It was evening. The Panther hadn't noticed Laura lying beneath the tree. It romped back and forth, tearing the earth with its powerful paws. 

The noise of an old fashioned telephone startled Laura. It was in a pile of leaves to her left. Laura didn't want to pick up, but the creature was beginning to notice her.

It thrashed and whirled and spun, seemingly growing larger and larger. And then it was running at Laura. She attempted to move but was paralysed. All she could do was watch as the Panther engulfed her in its darkness, consuming her in its massive jaws.

Laura found herself once again drifting through a void. In the darkness, Laura was the light. She could see it emanate from herself. Ahead was the silhouette of a figure. She walked towards it, but the light made it disappear.

As she moved away the outline became clear again. It was the shape of a woman, who lifted up and held out her arm. Her features were lost in the darkness. Laura moved back towards her again, but she disappeared. 

How can light ever embrace a shadow?

\---------------

When Laura woke up the first thing she did was let out a long groan. The room was too bright. She wasn't covered by a duvet, but a blanket. Slowly she opened her eyes fully to realise she was in Laf and Perry's lounge.

That was right, she had gone over for a film night. Laura sat up more on the sofa. The scent of coffee hung in the room and she could hear Perry rattling about in the kitchen.

Laf had practically dragged Laura over to their house. Apparently she was 'too immersed in her coursework,' and, 'needed to stop stressing out'. Laura had to admit that she was feeling much better this morning. Four hours sleep a night probably wasn't that good for her mental health.

Laura sensed pancakes were being made. She dragged herself up off the sofa and into the kitchen. 

Laf was at the table moping the last drips of syrup up off their plate. They looked up at Laura as she walked in and nodded to her. 

Perry had put blueberries and raspberries in her pancakes. Laura probably would have preferred them without. She wasn't complaining though.

'I may come over later and check up on Mica if that's okay.' Laf said.

Laura nodded, still chewing. 

'I'm still worried. Do you think maybe it only eats live food? Y'know, being a Panther and all?'

Laura raised her eyebrows. 'You are not letting it kill cute furry creatures in my room.'

Laf shrunk, 'Isn't it worth a try? She's still losing weight rapidly, I doubt she'll survive long.'

Laura grunted. 'Neither would the innocent rabbits.' She looked at her watch. Having a break had been nice, if not necessary, but the weight of the amount of work she had left was pressing on her mind. Once she had finished her plate she stood. 'I need to make a move'. Thankfully Perry and Laf understood. 

Laura turned down Laf's lift, it was late enough in the day to catch a bus. Also Danny trained Saturdays. A slight detour wouldn't make much difference to her essay schedule.

Outside was overcast but there was no chill in the air. Laura stood by the spectators' stand watching the single figure pound around the track. Danny always got there early, except for the day they first met of course. Laura smiled remembering the happy coincidence.

Danny noticed Laura from the other side and waved. She ran over to Laura at the end of her lap.

'Hi... I'm glad... you're here' Danny said between breaths. 

'I'm glad too, I know it was two days ago, but it feels like ages since I've seen you. How is your essays going?'

Danny nodded, 'Not too bad. I'm so looking forwards to when they're finally handed in.' 

Laura sighed, 'It'll be good to be free.'

The tall girl glanced towards the track entrance where a few people were laughing as they walked in. 'My team are arriving. Look, I have something to talk to you about. I know you're busy, but can I come over later?'

'Sure.' Laura was curious to what Danny wanted to talk about. She looked anxious.

Danny gave Laura a swift smile before jogging away. 

A light drizzle formed as Laura began walking to the nearest bus stop. She didn't have a coat with her. Typical. 

Her pace ascended to a run as the rain stepped up a notch. She reached the bus pole, but there was no way she was standing waiting for the bus in this. Laura looked out from beneath the jumper she was holding above her head for a possible shelter.

The buildings were all separated from the road by gardens. The opposite side of the road merged with the edge of the woods. Standing under a tree would at least protect her from the bulk of the rain.

Once under cover, Laura pulled her jumper from over her head and leant against the bark of the trunk. The rain was only getting heavier. Great, this wasn't going to help her essays.

Drops still splashed against her face, she could see the grey sky through a thin lace of leaves. She looked deeper into the woods where the canopy became thicker. It would be while until the bus arrived anyway. Laura pushed herself off the trunk, heading towards the drier looking earth.

She reached up and plucked a leaf from the tree she was standing beneath. Turning in a small circle she huffed. In a way she was happy to be having a small break, even if it was in the rain. It was nice to be back with nature.

Laura felt surrounded by life. Sure, the rain meant no birds were singing, but the smell of wood and earth filled her nostrils. She looked around at the vitality of the scene about her. 

But then she was struck with a sense of unease. An aspect of the scene was wrong. Her eyes picked out a shape beneath a tree. From this distance it could easily have been a discarded bin bag, but something inside Laura told her that was not it.

Tentatively she stepped forwards, eyes fixed upon the anomaly. Laura felt a strong sense of repulsion. Even so she soon found herself walking faster and faster towards the object. 

Laura's eyes widened as the shape came into focus as a body lying on the floor. It couldn't be a dead body, she told herself. She stopped, unsure whether to go on or just call the police and leave them to deal with it. She shook her head and clenched her fists. She needed to assess what the situation actually was before taking any action.

As she proceeded she could make out more. The body lay on its front, one arm was held beneath its head, and the other was cast to the side.

Laura held her breath, carefully searching for any sign of movement. As she stood over the body she scanned the length of it for any wounds. It was difficult to tell, blood wouldn't show up on black fabric.

She knelt by its side. It looked like they were a woman. At this point Laura was pretty sure she couldn't be alive, there was still no rise and fall of breaths. She was aware she didn't want to disturb the crime scene so refrained from touching anything. Laura shuddered to think of touching her skin, of discovering whether the flesh was stone cold, or still holding a remnant of rapidly departing warmth.

She reached into her overnight bag and pulled out her cell. Slightly shaking she dialed 112 and held the phone to her ear. 'Hello?' Laura stammered. 'I think I found a body. She's not moving. Sorry? Oh yes, police please. Where am I? Um, by the trees that are kinda...' Laura whipped her head round as the body let out a groan and moved its head to the side.

'On second thoughts, forget about it' Laura said down the line, staring at the body, before hanging up.

'You're alive?' Laura exclaimed. She shook the woman's shoulders. 'Excuse me, do you need an ambulance? Are you okay?'

A low croak emanated from beneath the mass of dark curly hair. 'I will be if you stop that god-forsaken infernal racket.'

'I thought you were dead!' Laura sat back on her heels.

'That's debatable.' The voice said. Well if she was in the mood for humor, her situation probably wasn't life threatening. Perhaps she was just homeless.

The figure rolled onto her front and sat up, resting on her elbows. Her eyes were shut and she was frowning heavily. Laura's eyes widened and she moved back rapidly. She had seen this face before. The girl scrunched her eyes, then blinked a few times before looking towards her.

'Laura?' The young woman exclaimed. She cursed at herself, and looked down to the ground by her side.

Now Laura really was freaked out. 'How could you possibly know my name?'

She was silent for nearly a minute. Laura could not speak but stared dumbfounded, at the figure who had previously only existed inside her imagination.

The girl tilted her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows. 'Twelve years ago, I saw your face in a dream, and it has haunted me ever since.'

Laura was thrown back by the comment. She stared closer at the girl, trying to make out whether she was being sincere. But then it didn't make sense her knowing Laura's name otherwise. That she was telling the truth wasn't that far fetched. Hadn't Laura seen the woman in a dream herself?

Laura nodded. She searched her face, soaking in the details that were lost in her dreams. Unless this was a dream too? The young lady had long curly hair, and there were tiny flecks of gold in her dark eyes. Laura's eyes traveled down to her lips.

'Oh. I think you're bleeding. You have a little thing right...' Laura tapped on the bottom edge of her own lip.

The woman rubbed the back of her hand against her mouth. Laura was concerned. 'Are you sure you're not injured? It's not so safe staying somewhere like this all night. You never know who might be about.'

'Says the girl starting conversations with strangers in the deep dark woods. And I'm fine. Listen cupcake, my only pain right now, is you, jabbering on at me this early in the morning when I have a killer hangover.' 

The girl scowled at Laura. Laura wasn't going to leave though. Logically, she knew she should be afraid, but she felt unaccountably drawn to the stranger. 

'Now will you please leave so I can get back to sleep.'

'You know, there's a spare bed in my room. You can use it for a bit whilst you work out more of a permanent arrangement. No girl of your age should be living on the streets.'

'Sweetheart, you may have noticed that this is the woods, not the streets. And I don't need your self-serving idea of philanthropy. I'm not homeless.

'So you do have a home?'

The girl held her gaze for a moment before answering. 'Of sorts, yes.'

Laura nodded. She sat gazing at the girl in contemplation. The stranger seemed intelligent and beautiful, even if she was being crabby. 

'Leave now.' The woman said, as if bored by Laura's continuing presence. She lay back down onto the leaves and rested her hands behind her head.

'No. I need to know who you are. Aren't you curious how we are connected? You say you had a dream about me? Same here. Multiple times, and every time you slip away. I'll be damned if I let the same thing happen in reality.'

'Leave it. The sooner you stop playing Lois Lane, the better off you'll be.'

'No. I don't even know who you are.'

'If I tell you will you leave?'

Laura held her breath, nodding. It wasn't great, but it seemed like the best she was going to get.

The girl sighed and raised herself to sitting. It was all summed up in three very vague disclosures:

First--Her name was Carmilla.

Second--Her family was very ancient and noble.

Third--Her home lay in the direction of the west.

That was it. She turned and lay on her side, facing away from Laura. It was a signal that the conversation was over. 

Laura stood and walked away reluctantly. There wasn't much she could do. She'd have to investigate later more about who the girl really was. 

As she exited the woods she was surprised by the feeling of rain hitting her cheeks. Laura had forgotten the circumstances that had led to the bizarre situation. She had also forgotten about all the work she still had to do.

In the space that she had been talking, at least one bus would have been and gone. Thankfully though the next didn't take too long. 

By the time she got home she was soaked. Laura threw off her wet clothes into a pile and replaced them with dry ones. She made a hot cocoa in her favorite mug and sat down at her computer. 

She clicked onto her essay and read it through, trying to refocus her mind on the task. It was only once she got to the end she realised that she had read each paragraph three times and still not noticed that she had opened the wrong document.

The meeting with the woman who called herself Carmilla still filled her mind. She wished she had been able to find out exactly where it was she lived, or been given some assurance that they would meet again. Laura growled at the keyboard. Stupid grouchy vagabond. Maybe it was just the hangover making her so grumpy and she would be nicer next time they met, but something told Laura this wasn't true.

She opened the right document this time and ignored the questions flooding her mind. The bibliography and references didn't need so much concentration, so she began on those. After an hour or two of work at a steady rhythm there was a knock.

Laura turned on her chair confused at who it could be. 'Yeah, come in,' she called. Danny peered around the door's corner.

Laura hurriedly stood up. 'Danny!' She exclaimed, 'I completely forgot that you were coming over.'

'Oh, sorry, shall I go?' Danny looked concerned. Laura shook her head and beckoned her into the room.

'Of course not. You'll just have to excuse the state my room is in.' Laura glanced to the pile of her wet clothes that were still on the floor. Not exactly the image of herself she wanted to portray.

'Hot chocolate?' offered Laura. Danny smiled and nodded. 

'Rained throughout the entire training session,' she said, taking off her coat and putting it on the back of the door. She had changed out of her running gear and was wearing a grey hoodie with her faded orange jeans.

Laura nodded at her comment. 'I know, I got caught in quite a lot of it too'

Danny stood at the edge of the room awkwardly. That was strange, she had been over a number of times since they met and they had always been comfortable together. Laura wondered what was wrong.

'Feel free to sit.' Laura said, turning from switching on the kettle.

'Thanks', Danny said, perching on the edge of the bed. 

Laura leant on the shelves headboarding the bed opposite. Danny was quiet, she was looking at the floor. Her eyes flickered up to Laura's momentarily, then back down again. Laura wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

'So,' she began, 'what was it you said you wanted to talk about?'

Danny sat up straighter and finally looked up to maintain eye contact with Laura. She cleared her throat slightly.

'Yeah. As you know we'll be finishing the year in two weeks. The first Saturday of the holiday is the Annual Adonais festival and hunt. As I told you there's competitions during the day and then a celebration into the evening. It's kinda a big event for the Summer Society.' 

As she spoke she turned redder and redder. Laura didn't see where Danny was going with the conversation, she knew all that already.

Danny shifted her position and continued. 'Its one of our only evening occasions where non-society members are allowed to join. Of course, you don't have to accept, but I would be honored if you accompanied me as my date.'

The puzzle fell into place. Laura's chest swelled and she felt her face muscles contract into an involuntary smile. 

Danny looked uncertain. 'Yes?'

Laura nodded 'Totally. One hundred percent.'

Danny visibly relaxed. 'I'm glad. I was worried you wouldn't want to come.'

Laura shook her head. 'Of course I want to, I'd love to go.' She was about to add on a 'with you' but decided not to. Maybe Danny meant a real date, but then again perhaps that was her way of phrasing a social arrangement between two totally platonic friends. Laura contemplated how to ask without making it awkward if she was wrong.

Danny stood. She turned her head to the side and smiled. 'These two weeks won't go fast enough.'

Laura felt as if she was being drawn towards the taller girl. Those blue eyes sparkled like the sea had done the first time she saw it all those years ago. She still recalled holding onto her Dad's hand and stepping down onto the beach.

The image of a woman's smile and claps as she wobbled forwards on unsteady feet flitted through her mind. She looked like the woman she'd seen in photographs scattered across her house. She must have been her mother. Laura smiled, she'd never had a memory of her before.

As the image left, Laura realised that her eyes had began welling up.

Danny looked panicked. 'Laura! Did I say something wrong?' She asked full of concern.

Laura shook her head, smiling. 'No, not at all. You just brought back something I had lost for a really, really long time.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter. It has quite a few references to Le Fanu's novella which you can read [here](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10007/10007-h/10007-h.htm). If you haven't read it yet I would really recommend it since it adds so many extra dimensions to Jordan Hall's YouTube adaptation.
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	9. Chapter 9

Sleep wasn't usually an issue for Carmilla. She rolled onto her other side, but it wasn't the earthen floor's jagged edges keeping her awake. 

Grumbling she stood, stretching out her arms and yawning. There was a lot to think about. Laura finding her in human form had been an unfortunate coincidence. She shouldn't have slept so close to the town. 

She transformed back into the cat. It'd make it easier to deal with everything, plus use up less energy. Following her nose she sought out a few unwitting rabbits and small creatures to drink for breakfast. They didn't do much to help regain her strength, but it was better than nothing.

After the snack she headed over to Laura's building. It would be annoying if her disappearance led to being not allowed back in. 

It was relatively easy to slip in the main entrance behind some students who were engrossed in discussing their finals. Once she got to Laura's door she stopped. Voices sounded from inside. Walking straight in probably wasn't such a good idea, besides from here she could eavesdrop for a bit. 

'Sorry, I only have the instant stuff.' It was Laura's voice. She could hear a spoon turning in a mug.

She knew who the other voice would be from before they even opened their mouth. Danny always had a weird effect on Laura, made her voice go even more bubbly than usual. 

'Fine by me.' Danny sounded in reply, 'I'm not getting in the way of your work right now am I? I'll leave whenever you need me to.' 

There were footsteps inside the room, but Carmilla sensed another pair traipsing up the stairs. She spun round for somewhere to hide. She didn't have much time. Laura's room was on the dead end of the hallway. The opposite doorway offered practically no protection, but it was the best she was going to get.

Carmilla tensed up, ready to be discovered and kicked out. Thankfully it was the short haired ginger who emerged into the hall. They were stared into the plastic bag they were holding, rummaging about for something or other. As such they were completely oblivious to Carmilla's presence as they moved along the hall and walked into Laura's room.

'Hey' they began, still looking inside the bag, 'I brought donuts for whilst you're doing your...' They looked up and trailed off, '...essays.' Carmilla used the moment to slip into the room unnoticed.

Laura was standing in the middle of the room holding a mug with Danny. She turned red and quickly let go. Had Carmilla been human she would have raised an eyebrow. Something had been going on.

It seemed like Laura hadn't really told them much about Danny. They looked at her quizzically. 'Anyway, I'm here to check on Mica like I told you earlier.' They said. Carmilla was glad she arrived back when she did.

'Oh right, sure, go on ahead' Laura plumped herself down on the spare bed as Danny sat next to the desk.

LaFontaine looked about the room. 'So where is she right now?' 

Laura's eyebrows furrowed. Her head whipped round the room as she scanned it for Carmilla. 'If she's escaped again, I'm not letting her back in.' Her eyes searched around until they fixed on Carmilla. Laura sighed. 'Great, she's still here.'  
Carmilla shrunk down. That stung. Here probably wouldn't work as a place of sanctuary for too much longer. Laura's dislike was draining, she didn't have enough strength as it was.

LaFontaine put the bag down onto the floor and walked over to the bowl of food they had placed out. They turned to Laura with a concerned look on their face. 'Hey, did you replace the food?' 

Laura shook her head. 'Nope, has it run out?' She asked.

'The opposite' Laf said, 'She still hasn't eaten.'

Laura didn't say anything.

'Aren't you concerned at all?' LaFontaine asked. The room was still silent. 'Laura?'

Danny shifted in her seat. Laura began to speak. 'I've got too much to do. You know how much work I have set. Is it my fault if she won't eat the food we have given her?'

LaFontaine stared at Laura. 'What has come over you lately?'

She shrugged, 'I said from the begining that it's too much to care for a cat at the moment. And she won't even cooperate. I've tried giving her chances, but it's no good.'

Carmilla eyed the plastic bag. No one was watching it whilst the humans were having their little disagreement. She nosed inside to find the donuts the ginger had been talking about. She stretched a paw in to tap open the paper bag. It opened and she pulled out a donut with her teeth. 

It was pretty good. She took another. They had been dipped in sugar. Carmilla was licking the crumbs off the side of her mouth as Laura noticed her again.

'Look!' she said to LaFontaine whilst pointing towards Carmilla, 'Now she's even eating my snacks!'

LaFontaine smiled as they turned and saw Carmilla sitting next to the open bag. 'Looks like she only eats sugary things. Maybe you have more in common than you thought.'

Laura didn't look impressed. 'Well at least it's eating something I guess,' she said, 'I wouldn't want her dead, but honestly, Mica can't live here much longer. She's too much trouble.'

Carmilla knew that for the rest of the week the sensible thing to do would be to toe the line and avoid annoying Laura. But that wasn't going to happen. Carmilla was a tired of Laura treating her like the worst thing that had ever happened to her. 

Laura acted like she was under a world of stress with writing, but in reality she was usually either messing around on Facebook, messaging Danny, or getting her to come over. What really annoyed Carmilla was that she'd use the pretence of work for meeting up since they were on the same course. Laura however was so enamoured by the presence of the girl that it made her forget the very existence of her essays. 

Carmilla knew Laura wasn't going to throw her out if she caused a bit of chaos every now and then. In fact Carmilla had worked out that her antics were exactly what Laura needed. Firstly because Carmilla provided Laura with a scapegoat. Whenever she drifted off schedule (which was every day), Laura could blame it on whatever distraction Carmilla had provided, rather than her own ineptitude.

Secondly Carmilla had realised that by trying to prevent Laura doing work, she conversely increased her productivity. The more Carmilla got in the way by sitting on her papers or meowing endlessly, the more determined Laura became to get it done nevertheless. Laura thrived under adversity.

The more time Carmilla spent in Laura's company, the more she gained a grudging respect for her. Sure she was hot tempered, self-involved, and lacked self-discipline, but there were other qualities which occasionally shined through. 

It was tiring though, being the vent for all the girl's frustrations and anxieties. Throughout the first week she felt her body take the toll of Laura's constant admonishments and ostracization. It was a risk that she'd be caught leaving, but topping up on human blood became a necessity most evenings. 

Carmilla could see herself again in that downwards spiral in which she had been trapped so long ago. She knew she should leave, it would be easy to manipulate another into providing her shelter, but there was something tying her to this place.

Carmilla wasn't sure what it was yet, but it was a mystery she wanted to solve. It felt important. The more time she spent in Laura's world, the more she felt like she was on the edge of something. She'd been having dreams for god's sake. She hadn't drempt since...

Carmilla didn't want to think back to then. 

The short haired ginger kept coming, bearing various junk foods. They wouldn't do anything to restore her energy, she needed blood for that. That didn't stop them tasting good though, besides it kept them quiet from worrying about her for a while.

On the following Sunday the ungainfully tall one of the gingers came over to visit Laura yet again. It appeared that they had invited her to some lamentable event the following Saturday. Laura like the overexcitable child that she was pretty much bounced of the ceiling as soon as she left.

Carmilla shook her head in disgust as Laura skipped in a victory dance across the floor, hitting herself into various articles of furniture as she made her way over to the desk. The contrast between when Danny was present and when she wasn't was amusing. Laura didn't really hide her feelings that well, she tended to stare and smile far too much. However, somehow she managed to act even more like a geek when Danny wasn't around.

Once Laura had finished her little dance, Carmilla moved to the door and faked a knock. She observed as the girl picked up her composed act again. 'Oh, Danny, did you forget something?' Laura asked. There was all kinds of expectations and sexual tensions locked within that voice. Carmilla wonderered why Laura was still messing around and hadn't fucked the girl yet. It was glaringly obvious that they both wanted to.

When no reply came from the door Laura looked confused and got up to see who as behind it. Carmilla was cracking up inside as she opened and there was no one there. Laura closed the door silently and turned to Carmilla who was standing close by. She had to admit, Laura's wits were sharp, she instantly knew who was to blame.

'You are so gone.' She scowled at Carmilla before marching over her desk and forcing herself back to work.

The second week Laura's essay pace really did step up a notch. It seemed that she had become worried about completing everything on time. She was a perfectionist, Carmilla could tell. But an imperfect perfectionist since she didn't put the work in early enough to be able to ever achieve what she wanted.

Thursday was the first day that Laura left the building. LaFontaine and Perry were postgrads and finished with exams so they had been happy to bring anything Laura needed straight to her room.

It had made it difficult to feed. Laura had been going to bed increasingly late, meaning the times that escape was possible similarly moved deeper into the night. It had become difficult to find any marks that were even still awake.

As such when Laura went out on Thursday, for whatever reason, Carmilla had to leave too. It was the middle of the day, but Carmilla was beginning to feel claustrophobic. She didn't like remaining in enclosed spaces for too long.

Out on the street she sniffed the air. Laura was heading towards the Lustig Building. Carmilla headed in the opposite direction. She needed a drink, not the hot red kind, the alcoholic kind. She moved to where no one was around. It was too early to deal with people screaming in disbelief as she morphed into her human form. 

The exhaustion hit her like a truck as she altered. Carmilla staggered over to the shop. On second thoughts it probably wasn't such a good idea to turn human. She had vastly miscalculated how much energy she had left. Carmilla's eyes were blurring as she looked at the shopkeeper.

'Bottle of the strongest stuff you have.' She drawled at him. She leant on the counter, it shocked her how much she was needing it for support. It seemed like forever before he placed a bottle in front of her. 'Can I see some ID' he asked. Carmilla cursed, she was centuries old for god's sake, she didn't have time for this crap.

'Sorry dear, forgot it. Surely you can let a girl off just this once.' Carmilla tried to act seductive, but it was no good, her dizziness was putting off her game. The man shook his head and put the bottle back on the shelf behind him.

Growling, Carmilla exited the shop. She tried to map out in her head where the next shop would be. All the places in town couldn't be owned by imbeciles that thought that she looked like she needed ID.

As she made her way through the streets she forgot where she was walking. By the time she heard the footsteps running up behind her it was too late.

A hand tapped her on the shoulder twice. Jesus, how was this happening again? She turned to face an impossibly bright smile.

'Hey!' Laura said excitedly, 'I knew we would bump into each other again.'

'Cupcake' Carmilla began, 'you didn't "bump" into me, you just pretty much chased me down the road.'

'I knoowww.' Laura admitted. She was practically skipping next to Carmilla. Carmilla tried stepping to the side, it was embarrassing walking beside such an overexcited girl. Laura only moved closer. 'Guess what' Laura said, wide brown eyes focused on Carmilla.

'What?' Carmilla snapped in reply. Laura was completely oblivious to her bad mood.

'I just handed in my end of year essays!' Well at least that explained Laura's cheeriness.

'Wow. How incredible' Carmilla replied in a less than enthusiastic tone.

'I know right! I'm soo happy, and relived. I can finally start enjoying my summer.'

'Good for you kiddie.'

They walked in silence. Laura kept looking back and forth to Carmilla. It was obvious she was bursting to carry on talking.

'What is it?'

'I was just wondering where you're going.'

'Nowhere really. I just need a goddammed drink.'

Laura frowned and looked at the floor. 'Don't you think it's a little bad for you to try and get rid of your problems with alcohol.'

Carmilla stopped and whirled around. 'Who said I have problems? I'm an adult, I can drink whenever I bloody want to.' Laura had overstepped the mark. The girl had no concept of personal space. Who did she think she was, just barging into Carmilla's life and making assumptions like that?

Carmilla was seething. She could feel the pressure build up in her head. Her muscles were tensed, but then they were failing.

Her vision failed her. She felt the ground make contact with her knees and her head roll to the side. She was aware of warm arms holing her steady. Slowly Carmilla blinked her eyes open. They stared at the concerned chestnut eyes of Laura.

'Sorry.' She said, 'Are you alright? I'm such an idiot sometimes, I'm so sorry.'

Carmilla couldn't move. Not because her muscles weren't working anymore; she froze because they suddenly felt restored. It felt as if some great energy was flowing out of Laura and into her veins. It was a while since she had been held like this. The amount of care she felt eminated from the girl was stifling. 

As Carmilla stood, Laura rose with her. 

She was supporting Carmilla under her arm. As Laura realised that she could stand by herself, she slowly let go.

'Are you going to be alright?'

Carmilla nodded slowly. 'It's gone now.' 

'What was it?'

Carmilla looked towards her to answer, but Laura cut her off. 'Sorry, too many questions. Are you sure you'll be okay?'

Carmilla nodded. Laura swiftly turned and started walking away.

Carmilla stood watching the departing figure in revelation.

The power she felt flow from the girl was immense. Carmilla knew the potential of Laura's blood. If she drank it, chances were she'd never have to feed from humans again. She could finally be free.

A smile slowly formed on her face. She knew her next victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading your comments! You can leave one below or find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Next week I'm on holiday in Ireland so I won't be able to do a chapter. The Stray Cat will instead return on FRIDAY 26th of June.


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday morning came. Laura waved her arm around blindly until it came into contact with her alarm clock. Growling she hugged herself back down into her pillows and duvet.

It was the day of the Adonis festival. Laura had prepared her clothes and things for the day ready for the morning. It had taken her a while to get to sleep. Emerging from her deep slumber, she began to open her eyes. 

A beam of light entered through the curtain, illuminating a galaxy of dust hanging in the air. Laura stood and swiped her hand through it, disturbing the delicate balance of those constellations. She walked to the curtains and opened them. The sunlight flooding the room instantly wiped out the stars. They were pretty, but Laura needed to start her day.

It didn't take long for her to shower and throw on the clothes that were folded on the back of her chair. It was still early. She noted Mica still sleeping in a corner of the other bed and glanced at the food levels in her bowl. It was pretty much full as always, she wasn't sure she had ever seen her eating the cat food.

Laura hoisted her rucksack up onto her shoulder. Danny had told her to bring some trainers and a change of clothes in case she decided to take part. 

Her steps were light as she left the room. She had hardly seen Danny at all recently. Even after the essays had been handed in Danny was still busy with preparing for the Adonis festival. Laura was looking forwards to see the setup.

Laura caught the bus by herself. Danny had gone there super early to finish up before the start. Once she stepped off the bus Laura took a piece of paper out of her pocket to look at. Danny had drawn a map of the way from the track to the area of the woods where the event was taking place.

By the time she reached the edge of the woods she didn't really need directions anymore. The sound of chatter and laughter made its way through the trees and guided Laura to its source. 

When she reached the opening it was clear what had been taking up Danny's time. The Summer Society had pretty much constructed a village. There must have been at least twenty huts set up in a circle. Most were made from woven branches, but a few incorporated canvas to create a tent-like effect. 

The huts circled a large clearing. Laura felt like she was walking into some kind of training camp. All the girls seemed to be engaged in some task or other. Laura tried looking for Danny but she was nowhere to be seen. 

Laura stood around awkwardly for a few minutes watching the society members swarming around the camp, fulfilling various last minute tasks. A drumbeat sounded and they all looked up. Laura walked with the current of people traveling towards the edges of the circle. She found staring with the others towards the larger gap between the buildings. Laura leaned forwards, trying to get a glimpse of what would come through the opening.

Finally she caught sight of fire red hair. A low horn sounded as Danny proceeded down the pathway. Laura barely noticed the people following her. Danny looked impressive. Black warpaint formed a band across her eyes, but a few streaks ran downwards, forming the effect of some impressive bird. 

Despite her height, it was the first time Laura had felt intimidated by Danny. She was wearing a stern face and her clothes were dark, unlike her normal bright colours. Laura managed to move in front of the person blocking her view so she could watch Danny pass her. 

When she reached the bottom of a set of steps Danny turned and held her hand up for silence. The drum which up to now had been going at a constant beat stopped, leaving a palpable anticipation in the air.

A girl walked to Danny's side carrying something black. Laura could tell it was heavy in the way she held it up towards Danny. Danny took the material and swung it around her shoulders as a cape. She clipped up the buckle at her front before looking up and facing the crowd. One of the cape's shoulders was armoured. Laura felt a definite tribal vibe about the whole scene.

Danny held her two arms up in the air and brought them together. The whole crowd moved, following the silent command. They filed in forwards to fill the space before the stand.

Still not one word had been uttered by the pack. Laura was unused to university students being able to hold such silence. The only noise was Danny's footsteps as she turned and ascended the steps to stand in front of a wooden throne.

Her voice cut through the congregation.

"The cycle has begun."

A unity of voices echoed back, "Summer is here."

Danny picked up the volume. "We leave the darkness of Persephone."

"Summer is here!" 

"We rise to the sunlight of Aphrodite."

"Summer is here!"

"Let Adonia begin!" Danny shouted. 

By now Laura had learnt the call and began to join in with chanting "Summer is here". The mood was contagious. It was as if a great excitement was tearing its way through the crowd.

The group began to disperse, some disappearing into tents, others rushing to carry heavy looking frames into the clearing.

Laura once again was stuck watching a well oiled machine which she was no part of. She looked towards Danny, who had sat down and was searching through the figures anxiously. Her eyes made contact with Laura and her features softened. She waved an arm, beckoning her over.

Laura stopped at the bottom of the steps. 'This setup is so impressive' she called up, 'I can't believe you were doing all of this at the same time as studying for the end of years.'

Danny shrugged, 'It was a group effort.' she replied. She gestured at the seat to her right, 'you don't need to stand down there, come sit with me.'

Laura stepped up and took her place next to Danny. She looked out across the encampment. The frames were having targets lifted onto them. Some of the girls were emerging from the tents, faces painted and holding bows. Laura turned back to Danny.

'So how come you're in charge? I thought you were only vice-president?'

'I am, our president at the moment is... otherwise engaged. Anyway, I'm only VP of outdoor recreation, Mel will be in charge of tonight.'

Laura nodded. It seemed that the archery targets were fully assembled. A line of women grasped onto bows, looking at the sky, then scuffing their feet on the floor. They kept glancing back at Danny as if eagerly awaiting her command for the competition to begin. 

Laura was just about to turn to ask Danny what other events would be taking place, when a hand tapped her shoulder.

'Excuse me, I think that is my seat you are sitting in.'

Laura turned to see a irritated looking summer. She didn't look like a figure to mess with. Laura jumped up.

'Sorry. I head down to the others. See you later Danny.'

Danny looked perplexed. 'You don't need to go Laura. This is Mel, the other vice-president. You can stand to my left until we find you another chair.'

'Um, excuse me.' Mel spluttered, 'I don't think that'll happen. This is the council stand'

Danny shot her an angry look but said nothing. Once Mel had taken her position Danny waved her arm for the archery competition to begin. 

After the first few arrows had been released, Danny stood, guiding Laura by the crook of her elbow, and walked down from the podium.

Laura heard Mel chuckle 'the President is going to _love_ hearing about this.' behind her.

'What was all that about?' she whispered to Danny once they were out of earshot. 

'I'm not really meant to leave the chair when summers are competing. Since there is two VPs this year, competition for President is pretty strong. Callis is using any advantage she can get.'

'So why did you leave?' Laura asked.

'Huh?' Danny looked confused.

'Why did you leave your seat if you knew it would put you at such a disadvantage?'

Danny shrugged. 'It doesn't really matter that much. I'd prefer watch with you. Any true summer would respect that over petty politics.'

Laura nodded. She was grateful that she got to stay by Danny's side. She felt totally out of place with so many Summers about.

She turned to Danny who was watching the arrows being released.

'That reminds me' she began, 'I thought you said that there would be other non-society members here?'

Danny nodded. 'Its open, but they tend to only come to the evening event. Most of the girls would prefer focus on the competitions and hunt during the day. Most will only have invited someone to the social.'

There was a loud cheer as one of the girls hit bulls-eye from an impressively long distance. Danny looked up towards the sun. 'Speaking of the hunt, the first group should be leaving soon. We'll go see them off.

Laura followed Danny round the side of a hut to where a group of about ten women were gathered. All of them were dressed like Danny in dark practical gear, except one who was in a short skirt and heels. The rest of the girls were carrying paintball rifles and water balloons.

'A hunt, huh?' Laura said to Danny, 'Care to explain how this works?'

'So traditionally the society would hunt animals, but we don't have anything against them, and they aren't needed for food. Instead we hunt the modern beast. A.K.A. misogynists and cat callers.' 

Danny pointed towards the differently dressed girl. 'So, she's the bait. The others will ambush anyone who treats her inappropriately according to how she is dressed.'

'Huh.' Laura nodded. It all seemed very planned out.

'This is why the Adonis Hunt is controversial. Corrina Scott discussed our views on catcalling in an article in The Voice last year, calling it _post_ -third wave feminism. The Zeta's are against it. Well I guess you would be if you get hit by as much paint as they usually are'

'Well as long as it's for a noble cause, not just an excuse to beat up Zeta's.' Laura laughed. She knew Danny's heart would be in the right place, but the rivalry between the societies was high.

They watched the group leave then walked back into the courtyard. The next lot of Summers were lined up to compete at archery. The scores were written on a board. Next to the archery there was space for the other sports including swimming, fencing and running.

Laura turned to Danny. 'Are you competing?' She was surprised when Danny shook her head. 

'I'm supposed to oversee the scores and ensure things run smoothly.' 

'And you're not doing a very good job.' Mel said, stepping next to Danny. Laura almost jumped, it was as if she had appeared from no where.

'She's doing an incredi...' Laura began to protest before Danny cut in.

'...bly bad job at the moment. I was just showing Laura what happens here, I'll get back to overseeing.'

Laura felt Mel's eyes burning into her back as she walked back over to the platform with Danny.

At the bottom of the steps Danny turned to her. 

'I'm sorry Laura but I probably do need to do my role for a while. Do you mind splitting off for a bit? You can go and see the swimming and other events, they should be starting soon. You can ask anyone for directions, everyone's really friendly.'

Laura nodded. She was miffed that she wouldn't be spending the whole festival with Danny. But then again, she did have a job to do. 

Laura entertained herself by watching a few rounds of archery, before moving onto the other sports. The swimming was held in the lake, whilst the running was cross country through the woodlands.  
Laura couldn't help but wish that Danny was taking part in the events. The others were impressive, but Laura was sure she would prove a fierce rival. 

She expected things to stop for lunch, but it seemed like the others just ate whenever they could, in between one event or another. She detached from the group, finding a tree trunk to perch on whilst she ate her sandwiches.

Laura got through them pretty fast. She wished she'd brought more food, she hadn't eaten breakfast. As she was looking through her bag to check there was no other food, Laura had the sudden sensation she was being watched.

An unpleasant cold tingle shot up her spine. Laura was frozen. She moved her eyes upwards, but it was no use, there was nothing to be seen. Laura was sure the thing was behind her. She rationalised. It was probably some animal, or perhaps a Summer, or maybe nothing at all.

Laura strained her ears, but all was silent but for distant chanting. She began to relax, but then there was a definite snap behind her. Laura whirled her head around, but the trees behind her were empty.

She stood slowly, turning herself in the direction of the sound. She could feel her heartbeat in the rapid pulse of blood through her neck. She tried to step forwards quietly. Dry leaves crackled every time she placed her foot to the floor. There were few places it could hide but the trees were just about wide enough to conceal a slimmer person.

It was too late to do anything when she heard footsteps running at her from behind. Laura panicked. She caved to instinct. It was right behind her. She yelled and did a spinning kick.

Whatever it was shouted in pain. Laura realised that she had her eyes closed. Slowly she opened them to reveal a distressed looking Danny kneeling on the floor holding her stomach. 

'Danny?' Laura cried, staring wide eyed down at the girl.

She made to reply, but couldn't. Danny was gulping down air. Laura was pretty sure she had badly winded her.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' Laura repeated as she knelt down next to her and rubbed her back.

After a few minutes Danny regained her breath. 'Wow...Hollis... What was that?' 

Laura was relieved she didn't seem to be annoyed.

'Sorry. I, um, got a little bit jumpy there.'

'No shit. Awesome spinning heel kick though. Just next time can I not be the victim of it?'

Laura laughed cautiously. 'Krav Maga black belt. Sure, sorry.'

'You don't need to keep apologising, I'll be fine.' Danny moved to stand up and groaned in pain. '...in a couple of days. Anyway, I was running to tell you that our group will be leaving for the hunt pretty soon, we need to get a move on.'

Laura jogged to catch up with Danny who was striding back towards the camp.

'I thought you weren't taking part today?' She questioned.

Danny nodded, 'In the competitions. Everyone participates in the hunt. Even you non-Summer.'  
Laura felt a twinge of worry rise in her chest. She had never fired a paintball gun before, let alone at anyone.

'Are you sure I won't slow your group down?'

'Not if you change quickly.' Danny pointed to a hut, 'that's my squad's hut. You can put your more tactical gear on in there.'

The rest of Danny's group were standing outside, filling their paintball guns with the balls. She hurried to get dressed before joining them outside.

'One second Hollis' Danny said, pulling Laura back inside the tent. She stood close to Laura and looked at her face before picking up a tin and drawing two black lines against each cheek. 'Now you're ready' she turned Laura and led her back out and handing her a paintball rifle.

'Ok Laelaps, let's go get our prey.' Danny called to the group. They banded together and left the site. 

'What's up with your stomach?' The girl walking on the other side of Danny asked. Laura instantly felt guilty. Danny had been holding her hand to her rib cage, it obviously still hurt.

'Laura here got a little jumpy.' Danny quipped.

'Impressive work.' The girl giggled. 'I'm Nazneen Ramanujan' she held out her hand.

Laura reached over to shake it. For some reason the name rang a bell.

'Wait a second, you write for The Voice of Silas right?'

'Damn right I do'

It pleased Laura to have already found something in common with Danny's friends. 'No way!' she exclaimed, 'I've been planning on writing for The Voice for ages. Think I can come in and check out the offices someday?'

Nazneen shrugged her shoulders. 'Sure. I don't see why not.'

Danny cut in. 'Okay, we're almost there. Circle guys.'

Laura could feel the faint tremble of a baseline beneath her feet.

'Okay looks like the Zeta's brewing party is in full swing. Chimamanda, you just walk across the edges, we'll see if anyone follows. Laura you stick with me, the rest of you know your positions. Laelaps fall out.'

The girls disbanded and disappeared to the woodland.

'What's a Laelap?' Laura asked. She remembered Danny using the name earlier.

'Laelaps is a mythological Greek dog who always catches her prey. All the Summer divisions are named after a mythological creature. We'll have to be quiet now whilst we trace after them.'

The music increased in volume as they moved closer to the party. Laura could see through the trees a number of guys drunkenly yelling and singing along. Laura sniggered under her breath, they were playing One Direction.

The Zeta's garden backed onto the woods. Laura could smell burgers being cooked on the barbecue. 

Laura watched in anticipation as Chimanda negotiated the edges of the party. A few guys glanced up at her, but then went back to whatever they were doing. Laura was pretty sure that nothing would happen, until a Zeta at the fringe turned to speak to her.

'Gotcha.' Danny muttered under her breath.

She followed Danny who was moving stealthily after them. Laura tried to be quiet, but it was difficult when they were moving so fast across the woodland floor. Soon they were closer though, and the conversation was in earshot. 

'I could be your safety companion!' he boasted, jogging to keep up with her. 'Kinda like an escort. Only a dude. A dudescort.' He chuckled, 'How awesome is that?'

She recognised him. It was the guy from the park when she was just getting to know Danny. Next to her Danny seemed to be boiling with rage.

'That's it, we're going in. Safety off Laura.'

Danny ran forwards yelling a battle cry as she sent rounds of paintballs into the guy's chest. Laura panicked, fumbling with the paintball rifle as she tried to find the safety catch. Within moments the guy was surrounded by Summers.

Laura turned to watch the action, but she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to yell to Danny that it was an ambush, but it was too late.

Four walls of Zetas closed in on the Summers. Laura could only watch from outside as they ruthlessly pelted Danny's squad with paintballs.

The Summers struck outwards on a counter attack. The whole thing was chaos. Laura kept flinching as paintballs whistled past her head. 

Finally she spotted the safety catch on the side of the rifle. She looked across the mess for Danny. Some guy stood over her, pelting paint balls into her recently injured rib cage. Laura saw red. She switched safety off, running at full pelt towards the guy.

Laura jumped over a fallen tree trunk, and tried to dodge through the mess of brawling Summers and Zetas. 

She barely saw the elbow before it smashed backwards into her face. All she saw was a vague blur of green leaves as she swayed, then collapsed into blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave Kudos if you're enjoying the story :) You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Will Carmilla emerge from the shadows? Find out next week. Updates EVERY FRIDAY.


	11. Chapter 11

'I am so sorry, are you alright?'

Laura awoke to a concerned guy looking down at her. She had difficulty placing where she was.

'I think so,' she replied, 'What happened?'

'This idiot wasn't watching what was around him and elbowed you in the face.' Laura looked to her side and saw Danny kneeling down next to her.

'The Zeta's have a long and illustrious history, you know we wouldn't harm a maiden on purpose?'

'Don't you go 'fair maidening' anyone' Danny snapped back at him.

'Theo Bro, I think we should leave the hotties to their thing.' The guy from earlier loudly whispered over to him.

The Zeta's and Summers were congregated in two small groups behind Danny and the one called Theo. Theo nodded and turned back to his group. 

'We'd better go. If you need help with anything, just let us know' he said to Laura before leaving.

Danny growled. 'Zeta's make me cringe.' She gestured to Nazneen, 'Help me lift her.'

Laura protested lightly when strong arms pulled her up. Her head was throbbing still. Danny said she'd carry her back, suggesting it wasn't sensible to walk when she could have concussion. Laura watched the mottled sun soaking its way through the leaves as she lay across Danny's arms.

She'd expected that Danny would have to put her down to rest at some point on the way, but she didn't. Laura glanced at Danny's face as they traveled through the woods. There was a thin layer of sweat across her forehead and her teeth were set. Laura could tell she was masking her pain, her ribs must have been killing her. What drove the girl to continue, was a question that Laura asked herself throughout the journey.

When they entered the camp the other Summers fell silent. Laura wondered if it was because she was injured. Danny sat Laura on a log bench and separated from her group, walking to the stage. Laura only noticed now she was further from Danny the paint marks that covered her clothing.

Danny's face was set as she turned and observed the gathering.

'The boar has struck!' She called out, 'The hunt is over.'

Danny stayed there for a moment, before returning to Laura. A few summers stamped the ground and withdrew to their huts, but the rest went back to their events. 

'I thought Laelaps never fail a hunt?' Laura jumped and looked behind her to see an angry looking Mel staring at Danny. 'I guess at least this reduces my competition' she smirked, before marching off.

'What is happening?' Laura asked Danny. Nothing was making much sense.

'She's just annoyed because she won't get to hunt this year. The Adonis hunt is called off once we are attacked back. It's symbolic. Adonis was killed by a boar whilst hunting.'

'So no more festival?'

'No, that's still happening. The Zeta's always retaliate once they realise what an day of the year it is. It's only the hunt part which is over.'

Danny was in a bad mood for a while, which Laura didn't understand. The Zeta's would have attacked whatever, it had nothing to do with Danny's team.

The events of the day only lasted about another hour. Apparently awards would be given out during the evening. A few Summers stuck around to prepare the space for the evening, but the majority dispersed.

Again, Laura didn't catch the bus with Danny. She was supervising the evenings preparations. Laura couldn't help but feel that she didn't leave much time for herself.

Once she was home she checked her face in the mirror. Chimamanda was a med student so had seen to Laura when they got back to camp. The bridge of her nose was slightly red, but that was about it. She lifted her hand to touch the bruised skin. She flinched with pain. 

Laura walked back into her bedroom. She realised she had no idea what kind of party the evening would be. She had tried texting Danny, but there was no reply. The wardrobe was open and Laura stared at the clothes inside, wondering what would be the right thing to wear.

Eventually she put on a cream summer dress. It would work if it was a smart event, and even if it wasn't she wouldn't look out of place. 

It struck her that something was different. She glanced around the room. Mica was missing.

'Stupid cat.' Laura muttered to herself. She searched the room, but not very hard. She knew the stray wasn't there. 

The window was still locked. When Laura tried pulling it open the bolt clicked against the wood. It was a mystery how it ever managed to get out. 

Laura checked the time on her phone. She needed to leave. Finding the cat would have to wait. As she locked the door behind her she just hoped the rascal wouldn't cause any trouble. It hadn't been known to hurt anyone.

She descended the stairs and left. It had gotten to that time of the year where even the evening air was warmer outside than in. She'd have to catch the bus again, it sucked but that was the only real option.

A car horn sounded in the parking lot. It took a second for Laura to recognise Danny standing with her hand through a car's window. A seriously nice car's window. She wasn't expecting her. Danny had a white shirt on with black skinny jeans. She looked great.

Laura realised she hadn't moved from the spot when Danny walked over to her.

'Ready to go?' Danny smiled.

'Yeah. I didn't know... Um. You brought your car!'

'You didn't think I'd make my date walk did you?' Laura felt the colour rise to her cheeks. 'Anyway, it's not my car.' Danny said, 'just borrowing it from a friend.'

Danny opened the door for Laura before she got in. It almost felt like prom again, except without the awkward date or uncomfortable heels. No, this was far better. She was grateful her Dad wasn't around, he was always one for holding her up to take pictures.

Laura was confused when they turned off from the road that would take them to the party.

'Wait...where are we going?' She asked.

'Fast car, a while until the party gets started, I thought we might take this for a spin.' Danny grinned. 'Not often you get to speed about in a Jaguar F-Type.' Laura rolled her eyes and smiled. 

The convertible cut through the empty forest roads. Laura loved the feeling of the wind as it tore past her hair. It didn't take long to get to where the road began ascending into the mountains. Laura had to admit she got nervous once they got to where the roads bent around the steep slopes, but she had confidence in Danny's driving abilities.

Danny pulled the car to a halt on the corner of one of the bends so they could see the view. From the distance Silas looked so peaceful in the dusky evening light. 

It was a long time since Laura had felt so utterly relaxed. After the loud noise of the engine, the silence almost lapped against her ears. She felt so safe with Danny, it felt as if this was where she was supposed to be.

Neither spoke for a while, taking in the expanse of the horizon before them. Laura felt like with Danny next to her she could keep going forever.

'We should probably head back' Danny said, shifting in her seat towards Laura. 'We don't want to miss the whole party.' She looked relaxed too. Happy. The corners of her eyes were crinkled with her smile.

'I wasn't sure what to wear. Is this alright?' Laura asked.

'It's perfect. You look beautiful.' 

Danny searched her eyes for a moment before leaning over and pressing her lips to Laura's. Laura leaned into the kiss, bringing her hand up, brushing it through that fire red hair.

When they pulled apart again Laura was aware of a new glint in Danny's eye. 'Right. Better get to this party.' She said, before stepping on the accelerator.

Laura turned her face from Danny as they drove. She was hiding her face that was split by a smile so large that her cheeks hurt.

It wasn't the only expensive car at the party. Danny parked alongside two vintage looking models before jogging around to open the door for Laura. 

Laura could hear the sound of AC-DC travel through the woods towards them. The space had been transformed. At the center of the clearing was a huge bonfire. Danny had been right, now it was the evening there was more of a mix of Summers and non-Summers.

Laura was grateful the party wasn't formal. Some people were dancing near the fire, but most were standing around chatting and laughing. Danny went to get Laura a drink. She didn't take long to return.

They chatted for a while before spotting some of Danny's group and heading over. Nazneen introduced them to her boyfriend, Samuel Ellis, who was the editor of The Voice. She began a highly amusing story of how they had met at the paper. The others groaned jokingly, moaning that they had heard it a thousand times before.

Laura had to admit she was a good story teller. Each twist and detail of the story she had ironed down to a tee. It was a well worn story but you could tell the others were fond of it. 

At some point the evening got dark. It didn't take long before Laura's head was light with alcohol and laughter. She pulled a reluctant Danny to dance by the roaring flames of the fire. The earlier kiss had given her confidence. She now knew where she stood.

Danny was being dragged towards some kind of drinking game.

'Go... Go' giggled Laura, pushing Danny toward the other girls.

Laura found herself wandering to the very outskirts of the party. She needed to breathe. She sat on a log and watched the music and revelry from a distance. 

She felt peaceful, as if she was looking into a bubble. Laura poked her finger forward and made a popping sound. She chuckled. 

Laura felt her hairs raise on her right side. She turned and stared into the woods.

Out of the darkness stepped Carmilla.

'Don't you look like a virgin sacrifice.' She said, striding towards Laura. 

Laura was caught off guard. 'Carmilla?' 

'None other sweet cheeks.' She responded, her sickly sweet voice gliding through the darkness.

She was wearing a black corset and leather trousers which... wow. Laura swiftly turned her head away when she caught herself staring for too long. 

Laura noticed a bottle in the woman's hand. She still felt the sting of embarrassment about the last time they had met. She was careful to keep her mouth shut this time.

'What are you doing here?'

'I live in the woods remember. You're in my dining room.' Laura stared at her blankly. 'Cupcake, it's a joke. I meant to go to the party, but the more I thought about a bonfire with those lackwits, the less interested I was. Parties should be a shimmering moment of possibility, not a collection of brutes around a piece of flaming driftwood. So, I brought the party here.'

'I quite liked the party.' 

'Then what are you doing here?'

Laura had forgotten. 

Carmilla began untwisting a wire on the top of the bottle. Laura smacked her hand down on the log next to her. 'Sit.' It was awkward watching the girl stand what felt like so far away from her.

Carmilla looked up in surprise. Laura noted how gracefully she navigated the woodland floor in heels to take her seat. Next to her, Carmilla started undoing the wire on the bottle of Champagne again. Her fingers kept slipping, her hands were shaking.

'Here.' Laura lifted the bottle from Carmilla's hands, taking off the wire in two deft motions. 'Shall I?' Laura asked. Carmilla nodded dumbly, and Laura uncorked the bottle. Laura heard the cork land in the leaves a few meters in front of them. Froth spilled over Laura's hands.

'Glasses, glasses!' She called out in a panic.

'You'll have to drink from the bottle. I didn't bring any.' Carmilla looked down at the floor.

Laura shrugged. 'I really shouldn't drink anymore. Like really.' She paused as if in thought. 'But this looks like ludicrously expensive Champagne, I really couldn't let it go to waste.'

Carmilla chuckled. 'Not exactly, I just got in in the 24/7 on the way over. But whatever floats your boat sweetheart.'

'You float my boat.' She replied. Laura scrunched her eyebrows. That really didn't make sense now she thought about it. Maybe more alcohol really wasn't a good idea.

She took another swig. 'I like it when you laugh like that.' Laura noted. She wasn't sure she had seen the girl in any form of positive mood before. Laura didn't really mind that she was laughing at her.

As if suddenly being conscious of her own happiness, Carmilla wiped the smile from her face. 'You shouldn't' she said. Carmilla's face was conflicted. She looked so sad again. Laura pouted before pulling her into a hug. 

She felt the girl's whole body tense up beneath her arms. She didn't know why she had done it. Well, actually she did. The drink was still clouding her judgement and she had wanted to make Carmilla happy again. It was a bad move, invading someone's personal space always was.

Laura shuffled back again. She handed Carmilla the bottle. Carmilla looked at the label briefly, before leaving the champagne on the floor. She stared upwards, Laura followed her gaze.

'I always liked the stars.' Laura said. Carmilla's head snapped down to look at her, but Laura was looking up and Carmilla returned her gaze to the skies. 

'When I was young,' she begun, 'my Dad bought me a telescope for Christmas. There were all kinds of books on astronomy in the attic that my Mum had owned when she was alive. I used to lie with them open for hours looking at the pictures.

'See that constellation there,' Laura pointed up at the sky, 'that's Ursa Major. The two stars just there are Dubhe and Merak, if you trace them along, you can find Polaris, the North Star. In Greek myth Polaris was a great archer. Her navigation was incredible, she never lost herself in the woods on a hunt. After she died she rose to the stars to protect those in need and guide the lost to safety.'

Laura heard Carmilla grunt. 'Just like humans to try and give a name and story to chaos.'

'You think the stars are chaos?'

'What else could they be? Random patches of light in an endless darkness. It's people who try and make sense of that. Do you realise that Scandinavians said that Polaris was a spike hammered into the universe by the Gods for the world to revolve around. There's no real meaning to the stars. I find that reassuring, it reminds me that...'

Carmilla stopped herself abruptly. She looked down at Laura.

'I didn't come here to talk about the stars.'

'Then what did you come here to talk abo...' Laura sucked a breath in. 'Oh. Okay.' Carmilla's hand was on the inside of her knee.

She turned and looked into those dark eyes. Ok, big mistake. Carmilla was looking at Laura like she wanted to devour her. 

Laura sat up straight. She was overly aware of Carmilla's knee pressing against her own, but tried to hide it.

'Urm, the weather turned out nice today didn't it? I, uh, it would have been awful if it had rained.'

Carmilla ignored her nervous digression. Fingers brushed up her knee and traced their way along the top of her leg.

Laura laughed uneasily. 'I should call Danny and the girls, see if they want to join. There's a great view of the stars from here.'

'Maybe I don't feel like sharing you right now.' Carmilla's voice had changed, it was a fraction lower. Within its tones were entangled notes of desire and need. Laura closed her eyes, begging herself to stop thinking about that. 

She could feel the shallow rise and fall of breaths in her chest. Carmilla pulled her close towards her. Laura felt like a mouse trapped between the paws of a cat playing with its dinner.

In the distance Laura could hear the laughter of students around the campfire. There was a cheer followed by a burst of flames. 

Laura could feel Carmilla breath in unnervingly close to her ear. 'I oughta know better.' she whispered, her hand snaking its way across Laura's stomach and around her waist to hold her in place. Laura couldn't help but feel she wasn't the only one. God, was she attracted to this girl?

Torturously slowly Laura felt her breaths move down towards her neck. She could almost feel Carmilla's lips against her skin. Laura could feel her heart pounding, blood rushing through her veins.

Laura grasped onto the arm that was locked against her stomach. She didn't want them to separate. She was complicit in the deed, Laura questioned who's desire was now greater.

Laura felt Carmilla's teeth graze the soft skin on the side of her neck. In the distance there was shouts. In her mind Laura willed Carmilla to go on. When she didn't, Laura realised Carmilla had frozen. 

She turned to face the other woman. Carmilla's eyebrows were furrowed. Her eyes when they moved up to meet Laura's were confused. Laura had never seen her look so vulnerable.

She said one word. 'Hollis?'

Laura nodded. Nothing made sense.

Carmilla started hyperventilating. 'I can't believe I...'

She stumbled backward off the bench. Laura stood, moving after her.

'Carmilla?' 

She didn't turn her head, but Laura could hear the fear in the woman's voice. 'You need to keep away from me.' Carmilla stated sharply, before retreating into the shadows of the trees.

Laura stood staring into the darkness, shell shocked. Remote voices were calling her name. She dried her tears before returning to the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like this story? Let me know what you think in the comments below. You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> What just happened? Find out next week. Updates EVERY FRIDAY.


	12. Chapter 12

The cries of the distant students still resounded in Carmilla's head. From the present she was dragged into the past, only to find out she was staring into the eyes of it. 

Carmilla kicked off her shoes. Stones bit into her stumbling feet, but it was better than trying to navigate the woodland terrain in heels.

They had been searching for Laura, calling out her name. Carmilla couldn't believe she hadn't heard it before, couldn't believe that she hadn't worked it out from all the clues the heavens had thrown at her.

Now she was starving. She could feel it in in her head more than her body. There was this heaviness, it was difficult to think properly. Carmilla attempted to trace the connections that led to her ignorance of the truth, but it was hard when even standing upright was becoming difficult.

Carmilla wished she'd taken the rest of the champagne. She didn't have the energy to steal money for another. It would have helped numb the pain. 

The name echoed in her mind. She'd thought that Laura Hollis would still be an infant. Had it really been that long? Carmilla attempted the maths but her thoughts were clouded.

A shiver traveled up through Carmilla's body, from the calves of her legs to the back of her neck. Holding this form wouldn't be possible much longer. She needed to feed. 

Up until now she had been trying to get all the distance she could, stumbling blindly through the forest. Now bearings were needed. The tree canopy was blocking her view. Carmilla moved to a spot where she could see the stars. She leant her hand against a trunk for the stability she needed to look upwards.

Shit. She had been going in the wrong direction. Carmilla turned, taking a different route back through the trees, she didn't want to go anywhere near where Laura was. 

Why couldn't Laura just have been some ordinary unimportant girl? Carmilla could have saved herself from decades of murder. Her blood felt powerful, Carmilla should have known from the start that there was a reason. The thought that she had been so close to taking Laura's life made her feel sick.

And yet would have been so easy. Her fangs had felt the warmth of her Carotid Artery. One more ounce of pressure and they would have pierced the skin, allowing her to imbibe the beautiful scarlet liquid that lay beneath.

Carmilla punched the nearest tree. Why imagine something she should never have? The bark crunched and splintered. There was a time when it would have taken the whole tree down. Carmilla's head reeled from the impact. Her eyes began to black out. When her vision cleared again she was kneeling on the floor.

It felt like some effort to bring herself back to her feet again. She tried to make it through the forest with more haste. Carmilla could feel herself breaking down. Sustenance was needed, and fast. Carmilla avoided thinking how many deaths would be needed to restore her from this energy low. There was always another option, but Carmilla knew she was too much of a coward to take her own life.

Carmilla could feel her breaths heavy in her chest by the time Silas' lights appeared. Each footstep seemed to send a jolt through her body as she stepped onto the hard tarmac. A few cars flared their horns as she stumbled across the road. 

It wouldn't be far to a bar for lowlifes, Silas was good like that. Carmilla ducked out of the headlights into the first place she found.

Carmilla let her eyes to adjust to the gloom inside. She cast her gaze around the room as she made her way to the bar. There was not many options, a biker group in the corner, a few middle aged loners regretting their life decisions dotted about.

Carmilla asked for a double scotch and leant heavily on the bar as she waited. The wood felt sticky underneath her hands. A moment later the whisky was in a glass infront of her. Carmilla barely looked up before downing it. She'd meant to sip it slowly whilst drawing in a mark.

'Three-eighty' the woman behind the bar said.

It took a moment for Carmilla to comprehend what the woman meant.

'But I don't have any...' Carmilla begun. The bar woman's expression soured.

'Then what do you think you are doing buying drink you can't pay for?'

Carmilla shook her head, 'I forgot.'

'Like hell you forgot. I'm calling the cops.'

Carmilla panicked, but perhaps this was an opportunity. 'No, no, please don't. Surely there's some way I can make it up to you? Perhaps there's some place quiet around here, there would just be the two of us.'

The woman wrinkled her nose. 'Is this some kind of joke? Just get out of my pub, I never want to see your face here again.'

Carmilla felt her legs buckling. She grabbed the stool next to her and fell down into it.

'Are you deaf or something?' 

Others began to turn their heads to the raised voices. A thick biker stood and lumbered his way over to the bar.

Carmilla heard the voices as her head rolled on her neck.

'This one bothering you Jen?'

'She won't leave'

'Want me to kick her out?'

'Thanks Dean'

Carmilla felt herself hoisted up by the material around her shoulders and dragged to the door.

The guy felt strong. It was desperate, but he'd be full of blood at least.

'Hey, want to go somewhere buddy?' She drawled once she could feel the cold night air on her cheek.

The man snorted. 'So you can rob me? You don't even have shoes. Piss off.' A rough hand pushed her away from the door. She heard it slam behind her. Carmilla rolled over to a sitting position. Her hands stung from how she had fallen to the floor. 

She pulled a few pieces of grit from her palms before dragging herself to stand. It was difficult to stay upright, Carmilla swayed on the spot for a moment before finding the wall for support. Carmilla could feel the alcohol beginning to affect her brain processes. Perhaps drinking wasn't such a great idea to add to her problems, it's not like it stopped anything hurting.

In all her years of being dead, Carmilla couldn't remember ever feeling so close to death. There would be no more chances now. She'd lost the ability to lure someone in, even if she wasn't being picky.

Carmilla morphed down to the cat. There was no point holding a human form if she couldn't feed, it made sense to save her energy.

She traced the familiar route across town. Her brain had no more strength to protest, she knew where she wanted to be as she drew her last conscious breaths. 

With each step her mind was focused on one image. Laura holding her as she slipped from the concious world. Carmilla desperately tried avoiding thinking about the hell that awaited her. Starvation couldn't kill her, but it would stick her in a hell of her own unconsciousness. An eternity of darkness.

Laura wasn't Emma Hollis, but she was her daughter, and that was the closest left. Perhaps for a while at least Carmilla could feel accepted again, like she belonged. Her normal self would never admit, but that's what she needed. Perhaps Emma understood that, catching Carmilla unawares, pulling her in as a friend when Carmilla didn't even realise she needed one.

Carmilla wanted to be surrounded by the smell of sunshine. She wanted to listen to stupid little stories about the stars without having the energy to contradict them. Above all she wanted to feel like someone would miss her as she slowly drifted away.

When Carmilla reached Laura's hallway it was dark. No light emerged from beneath her door. She almost gave up hope before she placed her ear to the side of the wood. There was the sound of soft sobbing.

Placing a paw to the door Carmilla scratched. No footsteps towards the door. Gathering up her strength Carmilla meowed as loudly as she could. The crying swiftly stopped. Carmilla tried once again to scratch the door.

It opened and Carmilla stumbled backwards. Her legs refused to hold her anymore and she collapsed to the floor. Her view of Laura was blurry. The corners of her vision were beginning to black out.

Laura sniffed. 'I thought you'd gone. It's not my job to look after you.' 

Carmilla felt hands push her back towards the exit. Her vision was completely gone now. For once, she was frightened. 

Laura's voice became angry, but Carmilla couldn't move. 'Go on, get out. This isn't your home. You don't belong here.'

The words felt like blows to her head, and yet they rung true. An unnatural creature, Carmilla had no place in this world. She no longer had the will to hold back the darkness.

Laura's voice echoed in her head as she slipped into oblivion. 'You don't belong.'

\---------------

There was nothing.

Carmilla lost track of time. Was it seconds? Was it years? There were no reference points. Nothing could be felt, tasted, heard, smelt. All to be seen was darkness. Carmilla wasn't even sure if she still had a body or not. 

I think therefore I am. All those philosophy lectures seemed pointless now. Perhaps she still existed, but in what form? Did that even matter?

The deep was so cold. She tried to sing to end the silence, but no sound was made.

Then there was an explosion. A wave hit Carmilla, a wave of noise and heat. In the distance a pinprick of light appeared, but in the void it stood out like a beacon.

As Carmilla watched the star it seemed to move closer. By the light Carmilla could see herself again. It was refreshing to know that she still existed on some level. The star wavered then began moving into the distance again. Carmilla could feel the light draining from her eyes.

Before its return there was nothing. Carmilla wasn't even aware of thinking. This time when it came back she could see its face. It was Laura. 

Laura appeared to be searching for something. Every time she moved closer, Carmilla felt herself disappear. Carmilla reached out her hand but Laura walked away.

Carmilla tried to hold it together. This was getting to her head. Was there an escape? Was this some dream dimension, or was she just imagining everything?

Carmilla travelled on to a memory. It was from around a year after Emma had had the child. 

Carmilla was watching as the family played on the beach. Emma was clapping as the girl, holding her father's hand, stepped down onto the sand. Carmilla turned to walk away, but felt footsteps behind her, and a hand grasp onto her own. 'Stay.' Emma's voice had said.

Carmilla felt herself being torn from the memory. But instead of moving back into the deep it felt like being caught in an warm upwards current. Carmilla could light shining down from above, rippling as if through water. She began to kick, propelling herself upwards. Carmilla closed her eyes before breaking the surface.

\--------------- 

Laura hadn't meant to snap. Something about the cat's refusal to move and expectant look had just made her angry. But she hadn't meant the cat to have a fit. As soon as she shouted those words she felt bad. It was a cat, it wouldn't have understood, but that didn't stop the fact that she had pushed away an obviously helpless creature.

Instantly Laura was kneeling by it's side. Its whole body was shaking violently. Laura didn't know what to do. She went to pick it up, but hesitated. For a second she was unsure of whether it was the same animal, it had shrunken to the size of a kitten.

Laura opted not to pick the cat up, it was still shaking and she didn't want to cause further damage. Her phone was inside the room and she didn't want to leave the cat, it was probably too late to call Laf anyway. Laura just didn't know what to do.

The cat's body seized a few more times, and then it was still.

Laura ventured a hand forwards to touch the fur. 'Mica?' There was no movement.

'Mica! No! No, no, no! Please don’t die, please don’t die you stupid cat!' In her heart Laura knew that there was a chance she was dead already.

Laura felt fresh tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She scooped up the body in her hands, there was no use crying in the hallway. As she closed the door behind herself, Laura had hoped no one heard the racket.

The cat barely made an indent in the fabric when Laura placed her on the pillow. She weighed practically nothing. Laura cursed herself for not forcing Mica to eat, she was obviously malnourished and in need of aid. 

There was a time when Laura would have been happy to see the stray gone, not in this way of course, just out of her life. She wasn't so sure anymore if she wanted that. A grudging affection for Mica had crept up on her. It occurred to Laura that she might perhaps miss the mischievous cat's antics. It would certainly be quieter with her gone, but was that still something she wanted?

Laura shook her head in regret for ever being mean to the creature. Maybe if she had been nicer to it, the stray wouldn't have been such a trouble maker. Laura sniggered. Now she knew she was stuck in a cycle of self blame, Mica was a troublemaker way before she'd met Laura.

Smiling sadly, Laura looked at the cat once again before gently picking it up and moving it to her lap. There was little hope, but Laura checked for signs of life anyway. She had no idea how to find the pulse of a cat so watched carefully for breaths. 

Nothing moved. The room was crystallised in silence. Laura could hear her heartbeat loudly in her head. 

Nothing moved. The reality sunk in slowly, then with a crash. Part of Laura's chest felt like it dropped. The pain she felt was disproportionate to losing a cat, especially one that mere hours ago she had been sure she hated. It felt like there was a cavity next to her lungs.

Laura brushed her hand against the cold fur. Tears were blurring her vision. She couldn't shake the feeling of responsibility, of regret. The cat shivered. Laura pulled it closer to her to keep it warm.

The cat shivered? Laura looked down at in in disbelief, surely she hadn't just felt that. She shook the tears out of her eyes so that she could see if it really had moved. Its tail twitched. 

'Mica,' Laura choked. She felt a surge of hope travel through her body.

Panicking Laura whipped her head around the room for something that would help the stray come to. There wasn't any food about except the dry cat food. Laura wrinkled her nose, how had she given so little care for the malnourished creature? 

Laura pulled the cat closer, stroking its fur, and whispering that it'd be okay. It was unclear whether it would be, but she didn't know what else she could do.

Laura poured as much love into her actions as she could. In her mind she was pouring all of the warmth of her heart into the cold one she held. It was a strange sensation, as if Mica was soaking up her care like a sponge. With every second a new part of her was becoming animated. Laura almost cried tears of joy when she noticed an ear flick.

'Please come back,' Laura begged, 'I need you here.'

Laura felt charged with whatever emotion it was that she was feeling. Was it care? Hope? It felt far deeper than either of those.

She moved her hand to stroke the cat's head. It blinked open one eye, and then the other. Suddenly it seemed to jolt into consciousness. It took a deep breath, almost as if it had come up from being underwater.

'Ow' Laura yelped. The cat had dug its claws into her side. It dragged itself closer into her embrace, as if she had been drowning and Laura was her anchor on dry land.

For a while Laura held the cat as if was a newborn. The ragged breaths slowly calmed, and the claws retracted. Mica settled into Laura's shoulder, her fur tickling her neck.

Laura worried about what to do next, she'd have to call LaFontaine and find out how to make sure she recovered. There was no two ways about it, Panther or not, she was going to take her to the vets for a checkup. There was no way Laura was ever going to lose her again.

Morning light began creeping in through the curtains. Laura hadn't slept yet. Tiredness hit her like a bomb. Nestling back into the cushions Laura drifted off. The warm weight of the cat on her chest felt familiar, it's musty smell a memory of security from a time before she could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this week's chapter was illuminating :) Find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> I have friends visiting this week so won't be able to do the next chapter. The Stray Cat will instead return on 24th of July.


	13. Chapter 13

Laura awoke to a heavy weight resting on her stomach. 

She could tell without opening her eyes that it was late in the morning, red light filtered past her eyelids. 

The weight moved. Laura furrowed her eyebrows. In her half-awake state she'd forgotten that Mica had fallen asleep on her. Remembering this, she smiled. She moved her hand to stroke the cat's fur, then froze. Mica had been barely bigger than her hands, whatever was lying on her was much bigger than that.

It couldn't be Mica lying on her. Now she was afraid to look. It was almost as if by making whatever the situation was visible, she would also make it into a reality. Primarily she was concerned with her own safety, but beneath that was a fear for whether the small cat was okay.

Laura braced herself before opening her eyes. She instantly slammed a fist into her mouth to silence her scream. 

On her chest lay a large black mass of fur. Laura's eyes bulged, terrified of making any movement that would wake the wild beast. 

That didn't seem to work. Slowly it reared its head and turned lazily to look at her. Laura could feel her heart beating frantically, a cold feeling rushed through her body. This was it, this was the end. It fixed her with a piercing glare. It was unique, intent, yet bored at the same time. Laura would have recognised those eyes anywhere.

'Mica?' The cat stood and jumped down to the floor. It shook its head from side to side before stretching. Everything matched, mannerisms, physique, everything but her size. Laura puzzled over how a cat could grow to the size of a small Labrador overnight.

Maybe she was wrong. It seemed impossible that it was the same creature as the night before. She was just deluded into thinking it was Mica, she must be. If she tried to approach it like the small cat it'd probably eat her, like it'd probably eaten Mica already. 

The cat's claws clicked on the wooden floorboards as it leaped up onto the opposite bed. It stretched yet again, before nestling down and falling back to sleep. Laura was conflicted. It did seem to be Mica, just a bigger version. She feared that she was wrong, that she was risking her life merely staying in the same room with it.

Laura slowly reached her hand sideways, she felt the smooth plastic of her phone. Grasping it, she pulled the phone to her chest and searched her contacts for LaFontaine.

Laura stared at the cat as she held the phone to her ear. The voice almost made her jump when it answered.

'Laura! How did last night go? Any news about you and Danny I should know about?'

Laura was confused for a second, she'd forgotten about the Adonis Festival only the night before. This wasn't the time to be talking about that.

'It went fine. Look I need...' 

'Why are you whispering? Are you at hers now?'

'No, at home. I need you here asap. Bring everything you need to compare DNA.'

'Whoa okay. For Mica?'

Laura nodded before realising they wouldn't be able to see that.

'Yes.' 

'Be as quick as I can.' They said before hanging up.

It really didn't take long. By her phone's clock it only took them fifteen minutes to get there, but it sure felt like longer. Laura was hiding in the bathroom as she got their text that they were outside. She was grateful that they hadn't knocked, or just barged in.

Laura slowly opened the bathroom door halfway. It would creak if it opened further, so Laura shuffled sideways through the gap. Laura stopped halfway across the room and looked at the black form lying in her bed. It's fur rose and fell slowly with the rhythm of sleep.

Laura shut the door behind her swiftly as she left the room. Laf had been waiting in the hallway, they looked at her quizzically.

'So um... the RFLP stuff's in the back of the truck. I'm guessing that you're wanting to do the DNA testing here not at mine.'

Laura nodded, 'Something's come up, and I'm not sure it would be wise to leave the apartment right now.'

'Yeah, not sensible leaving a dangerous predator in a house full of students.'

Laura's eyes widened. 'How did you know that?'

'You've been whispering and just shut the door behind you like it's the lid on hell. Mica's DNA shows she's a panther, now you're asking to do DNA tests again. So there's a big panther in your room and you want to know if it's Mica. Can you help me carry the stuff up?'

Laf put down the case they were carrying and made their way back down the stairs. Laura stood for a moment, dumbfounded, before following. 

Laura didn't know DNA comparison needed so much equipment. She'd always assumed that you put hair or another sample in a test tube with some chemicals then looked at it under a microscope. 

'You carry the thermocycler, I can carry the rest.' They said, pointing to a machine about the size of a bread maker. They picked up another box.

'Careful not to drop it' They said as Laura balanced it in one arm to open the front door. 'Costs about nine thousand euro to replace.'

Laura dropped the door, holding onto the machine with both hands. 'What? How do you have this?'

'Borrowed it from the labs. I'll hold the door open for you.'

They put their box down before opening the door and motioning Laura inside. With every step Laura was worried she'd trip, but she made it to her room okay.

'We'll set up in the bathroom.' Laf said when they caught up. 'Your room might not be safe, and the corridor will attract attention.'

After trailing an extension cord from her room, Laura shut and locked the bathroom door. 

It didn't seem to take Laf long to set up. It was bizarre seeing the room being transformed into a miniature lab.

'Have you got the sample?' They asked. Laura stared at them blankly. 'Oh boy... Okay, we need to go out there and get a sample.'

Laura nodded, 'So go out, pick out a hair and come back?'

LaFontaine shook their head. 'Hairs aren't actually that ideal for DNA testing. Could you possibly do a saliva swab?'

They held up a tube with a cotton bud inside for her to take. Laura took it. This wasn't the time for quibbling, she needed to know what had happened to Mica as soon as possible.

After Laf's brief instructions, Laura left the bathroom, carefully shutting the door behind her. She crept over to the sleeping mass. She could feel the cold glass of the tube through her rubber gloves. 

Leaning over the creature, Laura pulled the swab out of the tube. Being closer to the animal meant that she could see that its nose twitched whilst it was sleeping in the same way that Mica did. Laura carefully pulled open a side of its mouth before brushing the bud against inner tissue. The cat snorted and shuffled slightly, but apart from that it didn't wake.

Laura moved back into the bathroom. For a few minutes Laf was messing about with tubes. Laura stood next to the shower, anxious for the results.

'Right. That's done.' Laf said, looking at a tiny tube. 

'Is it Mica?' Laura blurted out.

Laf furrowed their eyebrows at her. 'That was just extraction. We still have PCR, digestion, and separation to go before we'll know.'

'What?' Laura exclaimed, 'How long will that take?'

'About two and a half hours. That's honestly the quickest I can do it.'

It felt like a very long two and a half hours. There wasn't much space in the bathroom with the machine on the floor, and equipment piled around it. Laura paced in an area of about half a meter squared. She was worrying about the fate of the smaller cat, whilst Laf had become fidgety after Perry called and they needed to get back.

After two hours Laf moved the small tube from the machine. 

'Now we just break this up with restriction endonucleases and do the gel electrophoresis.'

Laura watched as Laf loaded two samples into holes at the end of a gel plate. 

'The electric charge moves the dyed DNA towards the anode, the smaller it is, the further it travels. In about fifteen minutes we'll be able to compare the DNA fingerprint of Mica and the big cat out there.' 

Laura nodded. The lines of colour moved across the gel almost imperceptibly, but sure enough within fifteen minutes they had spread out across the plate.

LaFontane looked at Laura. 'In an ideal world there is a couple more steps, but this tells us what we need to know.'

'And that is?' Laura asked.

LaFontaine studied the plate carefully before replying. 'All the lines match up. That means the DNA is the same.'

'It's Mica?'

Laf shrugged. 'Inaccuracies are always possible, but I'm pretty sure.'

Laura almost gasped in relief. She was okay. Sure it presented a lot of problems, and perhaps even more questions, but the cat was still alive. 

'I really need to get back to Perry.' Laf said as they packed up the equipment. 

'No worries. I'll try work out what to do from here.' Laura reassured them. Laura helped them carry their things to the car. 

Back inside the room Laura tentatively sat on the side of the bed. She was confident that if it was Mica she was safe. It wasn't just that there had been no signs of violence before, Laura trusted her. It was as if something had clicked last night, sparking a connection. Perhaps it wasn't sensible to listen, but instinct told Laura she was safe.

Laura placed a hand against the warm fur. 'Well I definately can't take you for a checkup at the vets now.' Laura said gently. She pressed her cheek to the fur on her side and breathed in. There it was again, that scent that brought back a memory of impossibly long ago.

Laura searched around in her mind for any images or information connected to the memory, but she could remember nothing. Mica raised her head and turned to look at Laura. She emitted a deep rolling purr, before resting her head on Laura's lap.

Laura absentmindedly drew her fingers through the fur as she contemplated the future. Real food would have to be bought this time, fresh meat. Campus wardens rarely did room inspections unless alerted, so she was pretty safe on that front. An issue would be getting the cat exercise. She was too big now to be allowed out and around campus, someone would call the police and she'd be taken away. Laura would have to work out some way of smuggling her out at night to run in the woods, maybe she could even catch her own food there.

She remembered back to when Mica arrived at her doorstep. Laura had been crying in her room. After Carmilla had left the party, Laura felt conflicted and confused. Soon after Laura had left too, she hadn't been able to get back into the swing of things.

Danny drove her home. She seemed sad that Laura couldn't stay for longer, but didn't make much out of it. She was always like that, caring and respectful. Laura had felt impossibly bad in the car, she didn't want to start off a relationship with betrayal.

Laura shook her head. She didn't want to go back into it now. 

Laura didn't get a chance to take Mica out to the woods that week. She'd started her summer placement at the library on the Monday. Things would get more relaxed later into the holidays, but for now even finding her way around the seemingly infinite rows of books took time.

Halls seemed busier than ever. Students were taking advantage of their last chance to party before going home for the summer holidays.  
As the week progressed the campus got emptier and emptier. Laura was grateful that she wouldn't be the only one left. Laf and Perry would be sticking around in their house. Danny would be leaving though, which sucked.

There had hadn't been a chance to meet up this week, what little time Laura had was spent searching for information about panthers. It seemed that their average food intake was around thirty to forty kilograms of meat a week. Mica was still fairly small for a panther, but she'd still need at least half of that.

Anxious about raising suspicion, Laura went to a different shop every day after the library to buy another hunk of meat. The panther was obviously eating it, there would be none left by the next day. She'd have to work out a supplier though, it would be easier to buy in bulk and her money was being swiftly used up.

By Friday evening Laura was exhausted. She got home at around eight and had been at the library since seven. Mica was lying on the bed when she returned. Lazing seemed to be all that cat did or was interested in doing, Laura had felt bad keeping her cooped in the tiny room, but for the time being it seemed to suit her.

The cat slept as Laura ate her instant noodles infront of the computer. Once she'd finished eating Laura got ready for bed. She'd be spending Saturday with Danny since she was leaving in the evening, Laura didn't want to be tired.

Even as she was brushing her teeth Laura felt her eyelids drooping. She'd sleep deeply tonight. Leaving the bathroom she walked over to her bed, Mica was lying in it.

'Ok budge, I need to get some rest.' Laura smiled. 

Mica lazily opened one eye to glance at Laura, before closing it and settling herself down further. 

'Mica. Don't make me pull you off.' The cat remained stock still. Laura sighed, 'Fine, but this isn't happening every night.' Laura clambered over the panther and lay down. She lay on her side and curled her fingers into her fur. Mica shuffled backwards until she was resting her head against Laura's shoulder. Laura wrapped her arm around the cat and soon fell asleep.

The next morning Laura was awoken by her alarm. It was eight thirty and she was meeting Danny outside at nine. She was completely curled up around Mica and had to be careful not to wake her as she got out of bed to take a shower. 

It didn't take long to get ready. Laura swung her bag onto her shoulder and walked over to Mica. 'I'll be back later, be good.' Laura knew the cat wouldn't understand but she whispered it in her ear anyway. She kissed the top of her head before leaving.

Outside the sun shone. Some clouds marred the edges of the sky, but it did nothing to darken Laura's mood. She was going to enjoy this last day with Danny whatever happened.

Laura felt bad about not inviting Danny up to her room like normal, but Mica had grown and wasn't exactly concealable. When Laura reached the parking lot Danny looked like she was in a bad mood. Laura hoped it wasn't because she thought Laura was being distant since their kiss.

Danny looked up, 'Hi stranger' she gave a weak smile. 

There was no car today, they'd catch the bus to wherever they were going. Danny was leaning against a lamppost. 

'Hey' Laura replied, before moving up onto her tiptoes and kissing Danny on the cheek. Laura had hoped that would reassure her that they were still okay. A faint blush creeped up the sides of Danny's face, but she still looked sad.

Laura panicked, what if she had seen her and Carmilla and misinterpreted. It was nothing, Laura hadn't even wanted Carmilla to come that close. She hadn't wanted those hands to caress her sides, or soft red lips to brush her neck. Laura mentally shook herself out of it. Danny didn't know.

'So what are we doing today?' Laura asked.

'Nothing anymore.' Danny frowned. Laura's stomach dropped.

'What?'

Danny sighed, 'I've been pulled into some Summer Society business that it's obligatory to attend to today.'

'They've given you no choice?'

'I know. It sucks. Anyway there's a chance that they'll pull me in to stick around over the holidays.'

'I don't get how a club can have that much power'

'It's just because I'm vice-president, I could turn them down but it'd ruin my chances of ever becoming president. Anyway, at least it means we'll get to see a bit more of each other.'

Laura smiled. 'That does sound good.'

Danny pulled herself up from against the lampost. 'Anyway, I've really got to run now, I'm pretty late already. I'll text you later.' And just like that Laura was alone again.

Laura sat on a bench to the side of the lot. She absentmindedly ran her finger across a name carved into the wood as she contemplated what to do with her day. It would probably be a good idea to further her association with the layout of the library so the next week was easier. 

The spare time also meant she could take care of Mica. She could take her out to the woods like she had planned to, but hadn't had a chance yet.. Mica seemed to be recovering well, but she needed to make sure that was permanent. It'd have to be done at night though, the campus was emptying out, but there were still people about.

Behind her a sharp shrill noise cut through the air. Red lights flashed on the side of the building and an alarm was crying out on full volume. 

Laura jumped up, staring at her block of flats. Smoke was drifting out of one of the windows. 'Oh God' Laura stammered, 'Mica'

A few students began emerging from the building. Some were still in pyjamas. 

A few campus security staff were running over. One girl looked particularly stressed. 'I'm so sorry, I forgot I left it on the hob.'

They muttered something at her.

'The kitchen on that side.' She pointed to the window, which was now emitting thick black smoke. Laura panicked, she shared that kitchen, it was three doors down from her own room.

It didn't look good for Mica whether she managed to escape or not. If the fire grew she would be consumed. On the other hand if she did manage to escape, campus security would probably shoot what they saw as a dangerous animal.

A girl in a bath towel exited the building coughing heavily. She seemed to be the last out. It took a few seconds for Laura to recognise her, but she would have known that face anywhere. It was Carmilla. She hadn't noticed that Laura was there. She glanced briefly across the crowd, before sneaking off to the side. Laura wondered whose bed she had been sleeping in.

There wasn't time to think about Carmilla, she needed to work out what to do about Mica. 

Tears began to spike at the corners of Laura's eyes as she watched the growing plume of black smoke. She felt so impotent. There were no fire engines in sight. How could she just stand back as Mica clawed at the walls of the room, desperate for escape? 

Laura had lost count of the times she'd almost killed the cat. It wasn't happening again. If she used herself to shield Mica as they exited the building, at least she'd have a chance. 

It was almost as if Laura was no longer in charge of her own body. She watched her movements through a screen of vision, a glass wall separating her from reality.

Laura was stepping towards the door. No one saw what she was doing, distracted by the emerging light of flames, or hopes of fire sirens singing in the distance. Her hand grasped the material on the front of her hoodie, pulling it up and over her mouth. The other hand she grasped a hold of the door with.

Laura looked back towards the oblivious crowd, before yanking open the door, and running blindly into chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave Kudos or tell others about it if you're enjoying the story :) You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> A new chapter is posted EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	14. Chapter 14

Once inside, Laura began dashing up the stairs. As she moved higher the smoke got thicker and thicker. It stung her eyes.

She pushed on. It was almost her own floor. The blazing kitchen was to the other side of the stairs to her room. There was a chance that if she was quick enough, she would be able to make it.

Tears caused by smoke clung to the skin surrounding her eyes, the ones that rolled down her face instantly dried up in the heat.

Laura had been holding her breath, but she was running out of air. She pushed herself on further. It seemed like she was reaching her own floor, the heat was incredibly intense and she couldn't see anything. In fact she couldn't even keep her eyes open anymore, the smoke felt like it was burning them up like acid.

She stumbled blindly upwards. Her lungs were protesting, she needed air. Laura took a breath. Smoke filled her lungs. She doubled up, gagging and coughing. She swirled for a point of reference in the darkness. Her hands hit the floor. She tried to use it to guide her further, but even the carpet was scorching her hands.

Trying to call out, Laura found herself further confounded by coughing. Every inch of her body hurt. The heat only intensified, feeling like hundreds of tiny creatures were tearing endlessly at her skin.

Something was pressed over her mouth. Laura would have screamed with shock but she was too busy coughing. Two arms pushed her down towards the floor.

'Keep low,' a voice hissed, 'there's less smoke'. The thing over her mouth felt like some form of wet material. It made it slightly easier to breathe.

The hand grabbed her arm. 'Come on, we're getting out of here.' It tugged her towards the door.

'Laura, we need to go.' 

Laura stayed rooted to the spot. Her brain was past thinking. She couldn't leave her again. 

'Mica,' Laura sobbed.

'What was that?' The roar of the flames was getting louder, through the cloth her voice must have been indistinguishable.

Laura felt the arms hook behind her back, and suddenly she was lifted. Laura screamed. She lashed out and felt her elbow make contact with something fragile. Pure panic had seized her. 

The voice began speaking as it ran down the stairs. 'Look. If this is about your cat, it's safe. As I was leaving before, I saw a massive black cat, size of a dog, running down the stairs. It escaped by smashing a window. No one saw it.'

The smoke was begining to clear. Laura gulped down the fresher air. At first she didn't believe the voice's story. She would have assumed it was invented to pacify her, but the voice knew about Mica. How could it have known what she was unless the story was true?

The concept sunk into Laura's mind like a balm. She risked opening her eyes. There was still lots of smoke in the air, but it didn't burn them as much as before.

She looked up to the face of her hero, and was suprised to see that it was Carmilla. There was hardly a mark of strain upon her face, for somebody running down stairs whilst carrying another person.

Laura could see the exit. Just a small way, and they were out. 

'Where are we going?' Laura cried out. Carmilla had turned at the base of the stairs and was running in the opposite direction of the entrance.

'I don't have time for them treating me like a hero right now.' She muttered.

At the end of the corridor was a window. Carmilla kicked through it. Placing one hand on the windowsill, she launched herself and Laura out of the building. 

Carmilla's pace slowed, but she didn't stop. It appeared she didn't think it was safe enough quite yet. Laura looked behind Carmilla's arm to see the burning building. The sky above was black. Laura realised how lucky she was to still be alive.

Laura could see her window, when work or life got too stressful she'd look out across the peaceful woodlands. It brought her peace. Now angry smoke was forcing its way out of it, and trailing upwards in menacing clouds. Laura prayed to the gods that Carmilla had been telling the truth when she said about Mica. If she was still in the room she wouldn't have survived.

At the edge of the woods, Carmilla gently lowered Laura. The smoke had affected her balance. Laura wobbled when she tried standing on two feet, so Carmilla helped her to sit leaning against a tree.

When Carmilla stood back it was Laura's first chance to catch a real glance of her saviour. She'd forgotten that Carmilla had left the building wearing only a towel, there wouldn't have been a chance to find any real clothes.

It didn't seem to phase Carmilla that the towel was barely still holding onto her. The white material had turned black in places, and a corner was torn off. Laura didn't understand the physics that held the towel up. It seemed that at any moment it would drop, revealing that fine form that lay beneath.

Laura snapped out of it. This was the girl that practically ran away from her, plus a girl that she didn't want or need. Laura cleared her throat.

Carmilla tensed up and knelt before Laura. 'Are you okay? Is your throat still bad?'

'Uh, no, it's better. I was, um, coughing for other reasons.'

'I'm sorry?' She looked confused.

'Well my throat kinda still burns, but y'know that cough in particular was not from...'

Laura's sentence petered out. When she wasn't making sense it was usually best to stop talking. Anyway why was she thinking of these little things when there were far bigger problems to deal with?

Her gaze traced back towards her previous home. 'Well this sucks.' She sighed. Laura chuckled lightly, 'I guess this makes the two of us homeless'

Carmilla stood up swiftly and snapped, 'I told you before, I'm not homeless.'

A silence hung in the air. Laura didn't know why she had made the joke. It wasn't funny. Even if the girl was between places, it wasn't for Laura, a stranger, to bring it up.

Carmilla relaxed and shook her head slowly, placing her hand against her brow. 'I'm sorry. Touchy subject.'

Laura nodded. 'Shall we go get you some clothes?'

Carmilla acted surprised, then looked down at herself, as if she'd forgotten that she was wearing next to nothing.

'Don't you need to sit for longer?'

Laura shook her head. 'I need to stop thinking about what just happened.'

Carmilla nodded and held out her hand to help Laura up. 

Standing made Laura lightheaded. She swayed in a circle before steadying out.

Carmilla offered a shoulder for Laura to lean on whilst they walked. It seemed as if they were tracing deeper into the forest.

Laura was exhausted. Because her head was hanging low with tiredness, it didn't take her long to notice Carmilla's feet.

'Are you okay doing this with no shoes on?'

Carmilla nodded. 'It's not like I have any option.'

'You could take mine?' Laura suggested.

Carmilla chuckled. 'Cupcake, your feet wouldn't last two seconds on this floor. It's fine.'

Laura hit Carmilla's arm playfully. 'I would so last more than two seconds. Anyway, it's not like you're impervious to pain.'

Carmilla smiled, 'No, I'm definitely not.' There was a faint twinge of sadness in her voice.

'Can I ask something?' Laura hazarded.

'Go ahead.' Carmilla replied.

Laura wasn't quite sure how to word what she wanted to say.

'Before. On the evening of the festival. Why did you leave?'

Laura couldn't see Carmilla's face to gage her reaction. They continued walking, the same pace, just silently.

Laura cursed herself for bringing it up. She wanted to know the answer though. It still stung, and more than that, she couldn't understand it. They had been getting on well. Maybe Laura wasn't the most attractive person that someone like Carmilla could find, but was she that awful? Carmilla had run as if Laura had turned into some radioactive substance.

And then she'd disappeared. For only a week admittedly, but it was a week in which the question had been burning on her tongue. To add salt to the injury, the first time she'd seen Carmilla again was leaving some girl's bedroom wearing only a towel.

Carmilla didn't answer the question. 

Laura distracted herself with her environment. There was a ruin up ahead. Most of the walls were knocked down, and trees were growing through it, but you could tell that a small house previously stood there. As they continued through the forest, more of these appeared.

Shortly they approached a clearing. There were more grey stone buildings, all ruined and falling apart. Laura was filled with a strange ghostly sensation as they walked down what must have been a street. The silent rows of houses seemed to watch as they walked past, the mouths of their doors open in dread. In places they had to climb over large chunks of stone where buildings had fallen into the road.

They approached a well. Laura released herself from the shoulder as Carmilla bent down to pick up a tin bucket. Surprisingly, it seemed to have lasted pretty well, it wasn't even rusted.

As Carmilla began to draw water she spoke.

'This village holds the burial place of my ancestors. A long time ago, everyone in this village belonged to my family.'

Laura nodded. She followed after Carmilla who carried a bucket in each hand as she traced through the streets. She seemed to know them off the back of her hand. They entered a churchyard. Laura could imagine the Gothic arch and tower would have been quite imposing in its day. Now the church had no roof and like the rest of the town, had become a victim of time.

'I feel like I've been here before.' Laura murmured.

'I doubt it.' Carmilla replied, 'hardly anyone knows about this place. Those that do know well enough to steer clear.'

'Really? Why?' She enquired.

'Some nonsense I'm sure. The only person that haunts this place now is me.'

They walked around to the side of the church, where Carmilla put down her bucket. She moved over to the wall and moved her fingers inside the space between the bricks, before drawing out one of the squares of stone. 

She reached her arm in and pulled out a pile of clothes. Laura didn't say anything, but this wasn't exactly helping Carmilla with her claim that she wasn't homeless. What nineteen year old girl hides a stash of clothes in the woods?

'Got any food in there?' Laura asked.

Carmilla shook her head. 'You should drink some of that water though, I expect you'll be severely dehydrated from the fire.'

'It's safe to drink?'

'It's fine.'

Laura sat and cupped her hands to take a gulp. God, she didn't even realise how much she needed that. Laura took more. The crystal water did wonders as it slid down her throat.

Laura was still drinking as Carmilla dropped her towel. She'd only narrowly managed to avoid spitting all of her water out in surprise. Laura quickly turned and held her gaze to the side.

The unselfconscious woman barely seemed to notice Laura's rapidly reddening cheeks. To be completely honest, she had no reason to be embarrassed about her body. Not that Laura had looked at all.

'Any idea what this is?' Carmilla called over to Laura.

Laura turned. Carmilla was holding a small box the size of a rubix cube in her hand. She threw it over to Laura.

Laura caught it and gave it a quick inspection. It was wooden. It's six sides were carved to fit into each other. If pushed a certain way, Laura assumed the box would open.

'I think it's something to do with the Summer Society. This is their logo.' Laura tapped on the carved emblem on one of the panels.

Carmilla wandered over. She had put on black jeans and a bra. But seemed to have no intention of putting a shirt on anytime soon.

She pointed to the bucket. 'Do you mind?' Carmilla asked.

Laura shook her head and Carmilla knelt to bring the water to her mouth. When Carmilla lowered the pail again, she tore a piece off the towel and threw it into the other bucket.

'You can use that to wash the ash off your face.'

'Thanks.' Laura raised the wet cloth to her face and rubbed. She was shocked by how fast the material turned black. The cold water felt miraculous against her hot cheeks. Her skin still felt tight from where it had been scorched in the heat.

'I'm worried about Mica.' Laura said. 'She was probably terrified by the fire, and has no way to find me.'

'I'm certain she's fine. Cats are survivors.' Carmilla said. Something in her voice led Laura to trust her. Laura could tell Carmilla was completely confident in the truth of her words. It didn't stop Laura's fears of course, but it did a good deal to alleviate them.

Laura hissed as the cloth went over a particularly burnt patch on her arm. She pressed her fingers to the open wound, how had she not noticed it yet?

Carmilla moved her kneeling position to in front of Laura. 

'You'll need to bandage that up.' She advised. 'It'll get infected if you don't.'

Laura nodded before looking up at Carmilla's bare skin.

'How come you're not burnt at all?'

Carmilla shrugged. 'I wasn't in there for as long as you. Besides I was still wet from my shower, that probably gave me a small amount of protection.'

'You have some dried blood under your nose'

'Yeah, that was from your elbow cutie.'

'I'm sorry'

Laura dipped the cloth in the water. She leaned forwards and carefully dabbed at the blood. Carmilla's eyebrows raised in surprise.

Carmilla's pale skin was covered in a layer of black ash. Laura dipped the cloth in the cool water and held it to Carmilla's forehead.

'Feels good right?' 

Carmilla nodded silently.

Laura continued washing soot off Carmilla, not noticing that the other girl was staring at her. It was therapeutic, watching as the ashen skin turned china white.

Laura was hypnotised by the structure of Carmilla's face, its delicate curves and hard edges. It was a metaphor for the woman herself, at times cold, but at others revealing layers of warmth.

Laura noticed a scar to the side of Carmilla's neck as she washed it. That was the only impediment she could find on the otherwise flawless skin. 

After a while Carmilla seemed to relax into Laura's movements. She closed her eyes and let the cloth travel across her collarbone and down her arms.

'You're right. This does feel good.' Carmilla hummed.

That moment was a refuge. The problems she would have to face in the future evaporated along with all the chaos of the past hours. 

Carmilla spoke.

'If you need a place to stay, you can stick with me for a while.'

Laura awoke form her daze and looked up at Carmilla. Even if it was only smoke damaged, she wouldn't be able to stay in her room for a while. Carmilla realised this and was asking if she wanted to live with her instead. Where would that be? Would that mean they would be sleeping outside in this creepy town?

Laura supposed that it would be safer for Carmilla if she wasn't staying in the woods by herself. And if Carmilla was able to live and sleep in the open air, than surely Laura would be too. 

Except Carmilla wasn't always in the woods Laura thought. She was sometimes sleeping around with Laura's classmates. She wasn't sure if she would be able to stand the nights where Carmilla didn't come home, and left Laura to sleep amongst the ruins by herself.

'It would be better for your cat to be in the forest. I doubt any of those little friends you have would be happy keeping it in their house.'

Carmilla was right. It wasn't as if Laura had many options, if she wanted to stay with Mica that was. She knew she could not leave the cat. Besides she still wanted to work out Carmilla. She puzzled Laura. This girl had turned up in her dreams before they had even met. Perhaps it was worth sticking around, just to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Carmilla stood up. 'Let me know when you decide' she said, 'I'm getting more water.' She picked up the bucket Laura had been dipping the cloth in, and quickly walked away.

If she couldn't find Mica again it wouldn't make much sense staying with Carmilla. Laf and Perry would let her sleep on their sofa. It would be a lot more comfortable than the stony ground, besides she didn't have to live with Carmilla to carry on investigating her.

Laura stood and stretched. The wind was rippling through the trees. She felt so peaceful. If it wasn't for the burns, she would hardly have believed that she'd been in a fire a mere two hours ago.

Laura heard footsteps echoing down the road. She turned to see Carmilla running into the churchyard. Dread settled in Laura's heart.

'Quick!' Carmilla called, 'I saw the cat by the well.' 

Laura felt a flood of relief. Before she knew it she was speeding towards where Mica would be. She was going flat out, but it still didn't feel fast enough.

Laura reached a turning. She couldn't remember which way they'd come, and Carmilla was nowhere in sight. Terrified that she'd miss the cat, Laura just picked a direction and took it. 

Her decision paid off. Within minutes she was running into the small square with the well in the centre. Laura dashed over to the well and looked around. Mica was nowhere in sight.

Laura was suddenly filled with a sense that Carmilla had somehow tricked her. Laura had been so excited by the prospect of seeing the cat that she hadn't noticed the signs.

Thinking back, Carmilla's voice had been wrong. Her excitement was obviously feigned. Carmilla was apathetic by nature, a large cat would not make her run and shout. Secondly, she hadn't been gone long enough to reach the well. Nothing had added up, but Laura hadn't waited long enough to work that out.

Now there was just the question of why Carmilla had done it. If she'd decided to leave she could have just run away. No, this was some form of trap. She was in the square for a reason. 

On high alert Laura turned slowly, looking into windows and through the streets. No one was in sight. Carmilla would have caught up by now if her news really had been true. Either the girl had decided to leave, or was hiding right now.

Laura panicked. None of her theories made sense. Why did Carmilla want her to run to this square?

A chill spread up Laura's back. She sensed that something was behind her. 

She turned to reveal Mica standing in the clearing. Maybe it was the sunlight on her fur, but she looked bigger.

Laura was overwhelmed. Carmilla hadn't lied, and Mica hadn't left her.

She ran over, not caring that the rough floor tore her knees as she dropped to draw Mica's neck into her arms.

It was not a trick of the light. Mica had doubled in size again. Now she was as large as a fully grown panther. Her fur smelt faintly of firewood but she showed no signs of injury from the flames. 

Laura felt guilty for doubting Carmilla. Maybe she should have put more trust in the girl. Not only had she saved her from the fire but reunited her with Mica. As Laura hugged the panther she couldn't help but wonder where her absent hero was now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why not leave a comment below? Always makes my day :) Hope you like that we're seeing a little more Hollstein now.
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	15. Chapter 15

Carmilla didn't see Laura run into the building. No shouts emanated to alert her of Laura's impending doom. But she felt her steps waver. There had been a few terrible seconds of realisation as Carmilla looked back at the burning building. Some form of instinct had told Carmilla that Laura was inside.

Carmilla had been about to sneak off before anyone saw her. The plan had been not to see Laura in human form again, it made everything too complicated, but when it dawned on Carmilla that Laura was in that building there was no choice. 

Carmilla wished it wasn't all about energy, but in some ways it was. Laura was her new battery. As long as she kept pouring out warmth, Carmilla could survive off of that.

More than survive, thrive.

Laura was just like Emma, full of love. Selflessness would be her downfall. Already she'd almost been incinerated trying to care for an animal.

Carmilla wished she could speak to the girl hanging around her neck, sobbing. She wished she could tell Laura that people like her would only drag her down. Eventually Laura's spirit would be broken. But Carmilla knew that even if she could speak, she wouldn't tell.

She hated to admit it, but now she was dependant on that care that Laura so readily gave. No longer was she scraping the barrel for scraps of energy. Carmilla felt vulgar. She was already considering leaving, but that would mean facing starvation again. Carmilla flashed back to falling into the darkness from which she could never wake. No, that couldn't happen again, she was too cowardly.

In her first century Carmilla hadn't understood. At first she'd thought she was weird when she discovered she didn't need blood to survive. 

It was at a dance, one of the many balls and grand occasions that her sister would drag her along to back in the 1690's. They would dance and have fun for a while, until Mattie got bored, nodded, then the floors would stain red. 

Carmilla would get impatient. She'd be starving, but told to dance with her dinner. Angry and restless, her place at parties was usually sulking by the sidelines. 

And that's where the enigma was unravelled for her. The memory was distant, but Carmilla could still see her face. 

It was curious at first, perhaps even sympathetic, but something marked it out instantly in Carmilla's mind. 

People always tried to approach Carmilla, but no method, ostentatious introduction, Petrarchan verse or rehearsed wit received anything but a swift and brutal retort or glare. Carmilla wasn't there for anything they could offer whilst alive. They always seemed so offended.

None of those faces stood out. Each was lured by beauty, an object to feed their own narcissism. But that girl was different. She realised Carmilla was an outsider, always surrounded, but always lonely.

For once Carmilla didn't feel like she was a trophy to be won. She still stayed by the sidelines, but she didn't stand alone. As the evening moved on, Carmilla began to enjoy the girl's company. It helped stave off her hunger. After a while, she wasn't even hungry anymore.

She was fuelled by the woman's company. It was one of the first times since her conversion that Carmilla had laughed. Her smile was warm, she cared whether Carmilla felt left out, she wanted to make Carmilla enjoy her evening.

And then she held out her hand for Carmilla to dance, and Carmilla was surprised to find that she took it. Hand in hand they walked out to the middle of the floor. Matska looked over at Carmilla with curious eyes.

That evening a new energy filled Carmilla. It acted on her system like blood, but never left that heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Later research revealed to Carmilla that vampires don't feed off the blood itself, but the life energy that it contains.

The girl with the kind eyes was so overflowing with life energy that Carmilla didn't even need to feed off her blood. Carmilla never asked her name, there wasn't time.

Over her shoulder Carmilla could see that Mattie was getting tired of dancing. She caught Carmilla's eyes and gestured that she was free to eat. But for once Carmilla didn't move.

To her side the screams started. Her brother Will had just opened up the carotid artery of his latest dance partner. Mattie stunned the group surrounding her with a piercing scream, she would feast on them later. 

For now she marched over to Carmilla.

'Carmilla dear, you're not hungry?'

Carmilla stood, frozen, still clasping the girl in her arms.

'Oh no, please tell me you haven't grown attached' 

Will had taken notice now and was laughing, blood covering his mouth. Matska smiled,

'Humans have such short lives, she'll only live a decade or two more anyway. They're always complaining about their existence. Think of it as preemptive misery prevention.'

Carmilla shook her head. There was no hunger in her stomach, she had no need for her blood.

Will's laugh had ascended into a hyena like cackle. 

'You're such a sap.' Mattie chuckled, 'you'll do it quickly and it'll be over and done with.'

Haunted by the images of savagery surrounding her, and pressured by the glares of her siblings, Carmilla set her mind to do it. She barely glanced at those terrified eyes before bringing her fangs around, and biting down.

It was the first time death hurt.

A strong breeze blew past. Carmilla pulled back from Laura's embrace. This was a good alternative to bloodshed. She felt bad about using Emma's daughter, but it meant she'd never have to kill a living soul again.

Carmilla was puzzled by Laura's newfound attachment to her. She could understand when she was being pushed away, but why pull a dangerous animal close enough that it could lash out and cause damage?

Laura sighed, 'I don't know what we're going to do now.' She reached out a hand and tickled behind Carmilla's ear. 'I was thinking maybe the forest is the best place for us to be. I'll have to introduce you to Carmilla, it looks like we'll be staying with her for a while.'

Carmilla had to catch her breath. It was happening. Was it really a good idea to have suggested living together? Some form of sympathy must have caught Carmilla that moment. Logistically, it was going to be a nightmare. How the hell was she going to hide the fact that she and Mica were one and the same?

Laura began walking out of the square, Carmilla followed. Already the problem was starting, Laura was calling out Carmilla's name. This was going to be an issue, she obviously wasn't going to be able to be in two places at once.

Carmilla had only changed into Mica to comfort Laura, now it seemed she would have to tear that comfort away. Carmilla wished she could say that she would come back, but she couldn't, and she couldn't stay a cat whilst Laura searched for a human. 

Pulling power into her rear legs Carmilla launched off ahead of Laura. It felt good to move off into the air, blowing away the smell of smoke that still hung about her like a spectre.

Laura would be watching Carmilla run from behind. Carmilla made sure to add in an impressive leap before disappearing into the woods. 

Perhaps she needed to meet Laura again in human form, but that didn't mean she couldn't play about a bit first. This was Carmilla's first opportunity to test out her powerful body, it had been years since she'd been this large.

Her paws connected with the earth as she tore through the trees. Ahead was a stream, It was metres wide but Carmilla leapt over it with ease. The trees to her sides were a blur. She felt the air buffer her side as she missed bark by millimetres. 

It had only taken a minute or two, but Carmilla could tell she had traveled a long way. She could smell the pollution spreading out from the town. Turning swiftly she traveled back the way she had come.

It wouldn't have taken long to get back to Laura, but Carmilla caught a smell on the wind. It was of that excessively tall ginger. Danny. She still gave Carmilla the creeps.

Stealth mode on, Carmilla paced towards the smell. Soon enough Carmilla was in range to hear her heavy footsteps as they crushed through leaves. Carmilla carefully padded up behind her. The girl was moving at quite a pace through the forest.

After a short while she slowed to a stop. Carmilla darted up a nearby tree to observe from above. Danny paced back and forth. She kept pulling her phone out of a back pocket and checking it. 

Carmilla's tongue darted out of her mouth and licked her lips. Maybe she'd go back on the no humans deal. This one the world could live without. At this size Carmilla could probably easily take out even such a large human. Carmilla envisioned herself dropping down on the ginger, tearing out her neck and glutting herself on remains she didn't even need. 

It was certainly tempting, but Carmilla was too curious about who Danny was supposed to be meeting. The girl was jumpy. Whatever she was doing was definately shady. 

But fate never allowed Carmilla to find out who else was coming. Laura's continuing calls were carried on the wind, and Carmilla's feline ears picked them up with ease. It was time to go.

As she neared the churchyard Carmilla fell back into human form. She'd prepared an excuse for her absence. She'd simply lost her way whilst trying to find Laura. 

When she got there it turned out she didn't need an excuse, the churchyard was empty. Carmilla followed the shouts to their source.

Laura was pretty much where Carmilla had left her as the panther. When Laura noticed Carmilla, her panicked face melted with relief.

'This town is a maze. I've been trying to find you for the past twenty minutes.'

Carmilla nodded, 'It was designed to be labyrinthian. Find your panther?'

Laura walked towards Carmilla. 'Yeah. Seems like she's okay. Darted back into the forest after two seconds though.' Laura looked down to the floor. 

Carmilla felt bad. She pointed back up the street from which she'd come. 'It's this way back to the churchyard.'

When they got there Carmilla packed her things back into the wall and reinserted the stone. Carmilla looked up to see Laura staring at her. Carmilla was confused, she moved to her feet before raising an eyebrow at the girl. 

'Got a good look?' 

She didn't seriously think that Laura had been checking her out, but Laura's face instantly turned five shades redder. Carmilla internally chuckled to herself. 

'Shall we go?'

'Where?'

'You do still want to stay with me right?'

Laura looked confused. Carmilla could have kicked herself, she'd forgotten Laura hadn't mentioned the decision to her human self.

Laura back-tracked. 

'No of course I do. But where are we going? Do you sleep inside the church or something?'

Now it was Carmilla's turn to be confused.

Laura continued, 'I just assumed that since you keep your stuff out here, this is where you sleep too'

'You still think I'm homeless?'

'It's not a bad thing if you are. I'm sure...'

Carmilla felt a thin layer of anger building up inside her chest. 

'How many times do I have to tell you I'm not.' 

Laura was getting flustered and waving her hands from side to side.

'I understand if you're just trying to protect yourself.'

Carmilla felt herself growl. Obviously Laura hadn't listened to a single word she'd said. It was time to resort to other measures. Carmilla grabbed her wrist.

'Ow' Laura yelped. 'Where are you taking me?' 

Carmilla ignored Laura's protestations, marching off towards the woods. If Laura wouldn't listen, Carmilla wouldn't either.

Laura was practically having to run to keep up with Carmilla's swift pace. The path Carmilla took was steeply uphill. Only when Laura tripped did Carmilla slow slightly and loosen her strong grip on her wrist.

At the top of the slope a large building rose up from amongst the trees. Carmilla stopped abruptly and flung her arm towards it.

'This is it. This is my home. Happy now?'

Carmilla watched as Laura turned her eyes up in awe at the huge mansion.

'Here? This is where you live?' 

Carmilla nodded. She didn't mention that that was in the past, she hadn't even seen the building for many years. Carmilla couldn't exactly say that her current home was also destroyed in the fire.

Carmilla shuffled her felt in the leaves. 'I told you from the start that I'm not homeless.'

'I know, but the signs were all there! The first time I met you you were sleeping rough and you store your things in a hole. You even have to borrow other people's showers.'

'No I don't.'

'Okay, so what were you doing walking out of my building that early in the morning with dripping wet hair and a bathrobe? Actually don't tell me. I'm not sure I want to know.'

Carmilla squirmed inside. Laura probably thought she was sleeping around. She felt like she was being blamed for something she didn't even do. It was Laura's own shower. 

Carmilla hated the guilt she felt creeping up inside. It didn't make sense. She had nothing to feel guilty about. Why did it matter that Laura thought she was sleeping with other women? Carmilla spat back venom.

'Am I not allowed to enjoy myself every now and then?'

Laura's eyes seemed to go dead.The brief argument was clearly over. 

Carmilla wanted to change the topic. She walked Laura up the marble steps to the veranda. It was hardly impressive anymore. Carmilla wished she had more to show. Leaves littered the stonework with weeds protruding from cracks formed in the statues.

Laura barely seemed to notice. She walked forwards as if caught up in a dream. At the top of the steps Laura walked straight to the building and placed her hand against the peeling paintwork of its outer walls. Carmilla had forgotten, Laura had been here before.

She had been so much younger Carmilla barely remembered that she was the same person. It seemed that perhaps there was some residue of memories left in Laura's mind.

Carmilla steered Laura away from the building. Those memories would be painful for either of them to revisit. If she was honest that was why Carmilla hadn't been back since.

Carmilla leant on the stone balustrade. She pointed downwards. 'The house overlooks the ruins of the town. This has always been the home of the Karnsteins. Long ago a castle even stood on the spot.

Wide eyed, Laura moved her feet, looking downwards, as if to do so would reveal some trace of the ancient monument.

Laura looked up and across the forest. Sadness haunted her eyes. Carmilla thought she had never seen her look so beautiful. She spoke, 

'You're lucky. My Dad doesn't like to talk about my family. I've no idea whether there is an area we could really claim as our own. We were always moving. It's not the only reason, but I came to Silas because it's my only connection to the past.'

Carmilla wished Laura's eyes would well with tears, but they stayed dry. It was a sign of misery long endured, a harsh reality carried for so long that there were no more tears to cry. Laura's mouth opened, she paused for a second before speaking, her bottom lip quivering.

'My mother came to this university.'

How could Carmilla forget? Her eyes remained dry too. Carmilla stepped forwards, placing her hand on Laura's shoulder. 

Carmilla had studied alongside Emma. It rained the day they met. Carmilla's astronomy books were soaked as she threw them onto the desk. She hated the class anyway, their facts and logic destroyed the beauty of the sky's chaos.

The seminar tutor decided it would be good to split the class into groups. Carmilla had been as cold as the weather outside when Emma had spoken to her. It didn't cast a single shadow on the girl's radiant smile. 

Her group had been loud and obnoxious. Carmilla wanted nothing to do with them. Emma had made the whole situation at least bearable.

Once again Carmilla stayed by the sidelines, but for a second time she didn't stand alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this chapter! You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> August is very busy at the pub where I work. I hope to have a chapter up next Friday, but I may not be able to. If not it will be up on August 21st (a fortnight) Sorry! Thanks for continuing reading!!


	16. Chapter 16

Laura hadn't expected a mansion. Hell she hadn't even thought that Carmilla had a home. 

Laura stood looking out over the town. She could see its strange layout, concentric circles and dead end roads. It gave her the creeps. 

The house was probably just as old, but certainly preferable to live in. She turned and walked back over to its whitewashed stone walls. There was something so familiar about the whole place. She hadn't been inside yet, but she was sure that the wallpaper would be light blue.

A dark cloud hung on the western horizon. Laura knew her previous home would be gone. She knew she should feel something, so many of her possessions were now lost, but only now did she realise that they never really meant anything to her. Objects were replaceable, the important thing was that Mica made it out alive.

This new place would be perfect. Laura could see nothing but woods and the abandoned houses for miles. Mica could run free, just as she was doing now. Laura only hoped that she would actually come back.

Carmilla was lounging on the baulestrade. Laura felt a twinge of fear.

'Don't fall' she warned. The stone balcony that looked over the town was high. 

Carmilla seemed to shrug off her warning. She was back to being grumpy. Laura felt another twinge of fear, she sensed that Carmilla didn't really want her there. There was the sensation that she was stepping on something sacred.

'Have you been here since you were a child?' Laura asked.

Carmilla sighed and looked down towards the town. 'Not exactly. I was born and grew up here, but it could never really contain me afterwards.'

'But you're here now.'

'Fate has dragged me back. Yes.'

By Laura's maths, Carmilla couldn't have lived anywhere else for long, but something in her words suggested that she had only spent a small fraction of her years inhabiting the mansion.

A drop of rain landed on Laura's face. The sky was swiftly turning grey.

'Can we go inside?' she asked.

Carmilla hesitated before replying. 'It's not locked.'

Laura walked over to the large door, placing her hand against the bronze handle. The door was heavy and the handle was stiff. It felt as if no one had stepped inside for a long time. Carmilla followed her in.

It was difficult to see much. Heavy curtains only allowed slivers of light to enter the building. Laura turned off the hall at the first right into a large room. She made her way over to the drapes, grasping the heavy material before pulling them back to allow light in.

Laura barely noticed the thick dust coating the surfaces. There was no doubt about it, she knew this place. Laura wandered over to one of the tall bookshelves. She bent down to look at the novels lining the lower shelves, brushing her hand against the leather spines. 

It didn't make sense. Despite the constant moving from house to house, Laura was pretty sure she'd never even been near Silas before starting university. Her Dad refused to return. It held too many memories for him. 

'Was this place in a film or something?' Laura asked.

'Like my family would ever allow the maddening crowd near this place.'

Maybe she was wrong. Perhaps she'd been inside a similar house. Besides, the wallpaper was red, not blue like she'd thought. Laura's mind switched to Carmilla's comment.

'Do they still live here?'

'They're gone.' 

Carmilla's answer was short and abrupt. Laura knew that feeling. She dropped the matter.

Laura wandered back over to the window to see the view. She pulled her jumper over her hand to rub away a patch to look through. In the corner of her eye she could see Carmilla turning down picture frames.

Outside the rain had picked up. Water streamed down the outside of the glass and the trees were blurry. It cast a blue light on the room inside.

Carmilla picked up a book and slinked over to the leather couch. She pretended to relax into it, but Laura could see her picking nervously at the edge of the book's spine.

Laura wanted to explore the rest of the house, but she wouldn't, especially since Carmilla looked so uncomfortable that she was there at all.

'Are you sure it's okay I stay here?' Laura asked. There was still the possibility she could move in with Laf and Perry.

Carmilla shook her head, and stood up. 

'Honestly creampuff. It's fine.'

She stepped towards Laura. Laura felt like she was being engulfed by those midnight black eyes. 

'You know, I understand if you don't want me here, if it was just a split second decision. If you're regretting it I can just leave.'

Carmilla continued shaking her head throughout the dialogue. She lifted up a finger and placed it against Laura's lips. Laura fell silent.

'I want you here.'

Carmilla's eye's flickered behind Laura and across the room's walls. She seemed lost in some thought or memory. A very faint shiver passed through Carmilla's body.

She looked back at Laura and snapped back into the present.

'I've got to go out now. You can sleep anywhere, the kitchens are down the stairs.' Carmilla hurriedly walked out of the room. Laura jogged after her, stopping by the front door.

'When will you be back?' Laura called after her.

No reply came. Laura watched as the figure disappeared into the heavy rain.

Laura pulled the heavy door shut. It muffled out the sharp sound of water falling against stone. She wandered back down the corridor and into the room. Carmilla's book still lay on the couch. 

Laura picked it up, looking at the cover. Thomas Moore's Utopia. She put it back on the shelf. Laura planned to stay in that room until Carmilla got back, but her resolve didn't last long. Eventually curiosity and hunger got the better of her.

Laura ventured out to find the kitchen, but there was no sign of it. Carmilla said it was downstairs, but Laura couldn't find any stairs that went down. The only obvious stairs were the ones that went up. Eventually she gave up and opted to see what was upstairs instead.

Some of the floorboards creaked as she stepped upwards. Laura wished that Carmilla was with her, it felt wrong looking through the house without her. Traveling up those stairs alone felt forbidden. Feeling guilty, she hesitated halfway up. She turned and walked back down the stairs again.

Laura made her way back to the first room. It was getting dark so she tried turning on some of the lamps. No electricity. There was some wood stacked by the fireplace. It took a little while, but Laura got the fire going. 

She pulled a chair to it's side, revelling in it's warmth. It was strange to think that fire which gave such comfort had been threatening her life only that morning. Despite washing the worst of the ash off, she still smelt of it. Later, when Carmilla was back she would ask if she could go upstairs and have a proper shower.

The evening arrived and still Carmilla had not returned. Now it was dark, and the halls which had seemed so familiar became scary. The fire left long flickering shadows on the walls of the room around her. Laura became sure that she was not alone, but she could never turn fast enough to catch the shadow she saw out of the corner of her eye.

She had tried to start reading, but half the books were in another language, and the other half were too complicated for her tired brain to understand. Laura lay on the couch and tried to get some sleep.

When sleep did come, it came in fits. She was haunted by dreams of fire and tall shadows following her through dark maze-like streets.

Then an awful scratching noise filled her ears. It was followed by a repetitive thump. Laura moved out of her liminal state. That was a real noise. Something was trying to get in.

Laura rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood up. It was freezing. The fire had died down to embers and she could hear rain still falling at a steady pace outside.

The thump happened again. Laura looked around for something she could use as a weapon. She grabbed a poker from next to the fire and advanced towards the noise.

When she opened the door she instantly dropped the fire iron.

On the door step Mica stood in the rain. She looked miserable. Laura stood to the side and the cat slowly skulked in.

Mica continued on into the hall, turning into the front room and sitting before the fire. Laura was suprised she didn't flinch at the sight of flames.

As Laura tentatively moved closer, she could see that Mica was shivering. Laura placed a hand on Mica's head.

'You're soaked through.'

Mica turned and looked up at Laura with sad eyes. 

'I'll get some towels.'

Laura left the room. She hadn't seen any yet. She went upstairs in the hope that she would find some there. 

It didn't take long. The second door on her right was a bathroom. Inside there were towels on a rail. Laura grabbed one quickly and went back downstairs.

Mica hadn't moved. She was standing staring into the flames. She jumped slightly when Laura knelt next to her, draping the towel over her back. 

Laura rubbed to dry her fur. Mica turned to stare at her with dark eyes. They were questioning. Laura didn't know cat's eyes could be so expressive. They were asking why Laura was caring for her. They were saying she didn't think she was worth Laura's time.

If she was honest, Laura barely understood herself. Something had unlocked since Mica's fit. Suddenly she wasn't just caring for the stray out of duty. There was more beneath the surface. Laura felt bonded to Mica in a way that couldn't be explained by the few months she had known her. 

Laura scratched underneath Mica's jawline. The big cat purred. Laura sat next to her and watched the fire until her head began to droop with tiredness. Laura didn't want to go to sleep again, she wanted to stay up until Carmilla came home. 

She thought that Mica and Carmilla would get on well. Either that or they would absolutely hate each other. Their personalities were so similar. Both were mysteries to Laura. They appeared cold, grumpy and slightly threatening, but Laura had seen softness lurking behind their façades.

It was getting late. Laura struggled to keep her eyes open. Mica left the fire to curl up on the leather couch. There was a space next to her which Laura lay in. It didn't seem like Carmilla was coming back that night. She was probably sleeping with her "study buddy". 

Laura was confused when she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She shouldn't care for Carmilla's habits. She was a single adult and she could do what she wanted. Laura was a stranger and yet she'd been allowed to stay in Carmilla's house. She should feel greatful for that.

Laura dried her tears in Mica's fur, cuddling into the big cat. It was a cold evening and Mica was radiating heat. Her breathing slowed to match Mica's. She was so exhausted it didn't take long to drift off.

That night her sleep was full of dreams. She drifted along the corridors of a dollhouse, carried by an invisible force, unable to change the path she was travelling. The rooms were the same as Carmilla's, except they were bright and airy, and the furniture towered above Laura.

Arms lowered Laura onto a mat on the floor. There was a loud scream then feet running away from her. She could hear the footsteps moving upstairs and panicked shouting. Laura didn't know what was happening. She began to cry. 

Stumbling, Laura made her way to the bottom of the stairs. She held onto the base of the banister and yelled. None of the shouting voices on the floor above heard her cries. She wasn't allowed to travel up the stairs by herself. They'd told her it was too dangerous.

Laura felt fear. Something made her want to get out of the house as quickly as possible. She tried to run, but she kept falling over. The glass doors were open and Laura escaped out onto the terraces. All she wanted was for the shouting to stop. 

She continued across the lawn until she was in the woods. Laura felt as if she was a child stuck in a fairytale. The trees loomed over her like giants and the brambles seemed to surround her, thorns jutting out menacingly. 

Laura could no longer detect the sound of shouting. All she could hear was the breeze flowing through the leaves of the trees. A sense of abandonment haunted her. Where had her parents gone? Her father was usually a quiet man. Why had he been shouting as he ran up the stairs?

The woods began to scare Laura. She wanted to be back in her home again. She wanted her parents to laugh together as they told her stories.

Laura heard something crashing through the undergrowth and a black mass of fur encircled her. It's jaws flashed before picking her up by her collar. The trees became a blur as the cat carried Laura away from the house.

The footsteps of four legs became the footsteps of two. Laura was being held to a human chest, and that human was crying. The woman kept repeating the same words over and over again as she carried her away.

'I'm sorry. Your mother. I'm so sorry.'

\---------------

When Laura awoke she remembered little of the dream. This was partially because she was confused about where she was when she opened her eyes, and partially because she realised that her placement at the library required her to get there at eight o'clock and it was already nine.

Laura leaped off the sofa. She was still dressed from the night before so there was no need to worry about clothes. 

Mica yawned before opening her eyes and watching Laura fumbling with her shoelaces with curiosity. As soon as the shoes were on, Laura gave Mica a quick pat on the head before racing out of the door. 

Laura remembered that the house was to the west of Silas, so she ran in the direction of the morning sun until she hit a road that led into the town. She was aware of the clock getting on. Despite running quickly, it still took an hour before she reached the university campus.

She thundered down the street, turning into the road which contained the library. She could see its large wooden doors. Two hours late, she hoped the librarians wouldn't mind.

A voice was calling her name. Laura barely registered it until she noticed someone was jogging alongside her. She turned to see Danny's familiar face looking at her. Laura slowed to a stop.

'Laura? Are you okay? Where have you been? I was trying to find you after I heard there was a fire.'

Laura was out of breath. Her sentence came out in pieces.

'Sorry. Have to go. I'm late. Library work.'

'On a Sunday?'

Laura's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

'What?'

Danny's concerned face broke into a smile.

'You do realise it's only Sunday.'

It took a moment for Laura to recognise the truth. It had felt so impossibly long since the fire that Laura couldn't quite believe it was still the weekend.

Laura's face folded into a sheepish grin.

'Oops.'

'If you're not working, do you want to go get brunch?' Danny asked. 

The mere mention of food made Laura realise how hungry she was. She had barely eaten anything the day before.

'You have no idea how much I would love that.'

Danny nodded. 'How about somewhere on Whalf Street?'

'Anywhere, I'm starving.'

'No kidding. You look like you could eat a truck right now.'

Laura didn't have much mind for conversation until she was sitting down with a plate of food infront of her. Danny didn't attempt asking any questions until she was at least halfway full.

'So. You survived the fire?'

Laura had just taken a gulp of her orange juice so she merely nodded. 

'I hoped that you weren't in the building. The official statement was that there were no casualties, but I don't really trust the university. I was so worried about you.'

Laura cleared her throat then spoke. 'I went for a walk in the woods. I got nowhere near the fire.' 

'Laura. You stink of smoke.'

'Okay. I may have gone back in for something, but I'm fine.'

Danny's eyes widened. 'Do you know how dangerous that was?'

Laura nodded. 'I do now.'

Danny picked up her egg bagel. 

'Well at least you're okay. I saw the building, it's pretty wrecked. Where did you spend last night? If you need somewhere to stay for the summer feel free to stay at mine.'

Laura was flattered by the offer, but she shook her head. 

'I found a place for the moment. I can show you it later.'

Danny looked slightly disappointed, but smiled anyway.

'Do you need a second plate of food? You finished that pretty quick.'

Laura laughed. 'I might. I'm still pretty hungry'

If Laura had looked out the window instead of ordering, she would have seen a figure watching her from across the street. 

The wind blew Carmilla's hair over her eyes. She scowled as she noted the two girls laughing in the diner. She span on her heel and walked away. 

By the time Laura turned to look at the street again, Carmilla was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with the story this far! You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Assuming next week isn't as busy as the last few I will update next Friday (Aug 28th). Then I'll be returning to a regular update schedule of every Friday again :)


	17. Chapter 17

Carmilla was half asleep as Laura threw on her shoes and departed the house. It felt early. Too early to be awake. 

Carmilla nestled back down into the sofa, drawing her tail around herself. Laura was the type to be up doing things before midday. She was probably pretending to be Nancy Drew and finding some mystery to solve. One day she'd learn that trying to find answers only creates more problems.

Perhaps one day Laura's energy would run out. Maybe then she'd be more like a normal human being and not so charged.

Carmilla shifted her position. She didn't quite like that idea. She tried to get back to sleep.

Something began to bug Carmilla. Even if Laura was off doing something, it was weird she was in such a hurry. She barely even said goodbye. Laura had a fondness for the cat, Mica. Carmilla couldn't imagine her running off like that.

Unless she'd seen something. 

Carmilla sat up. She was awake now. Hundreds of situations ran through her head. Somehow Laura must have worked out what she was. Carmilla started shaking. Laura knew she was a monster. Why else would she have ran? 

Carmilla worried for a second that Laura had found the seventeenth century oil painting of herself that was hidden in the attic. It was such a likeness, Laura would be sure to know it was her.

Carmilla told herself to calm down. The smoke and dust of time had all but obliterated those original images. All that was left would be black empty frames.

But there were other things she could have seen, other ways she could have worked it out. If Laura knew Carmilla was Mica, If Laura knew she was a vampire, if Laura knew Carmilla was there when Emma...

Mica jumped off the sofa. She had to find out what Laura knew. 

The woods tore past beneath Mica's racing feet. She followed Laura's smell. The girl couldn't have gone far, the forests around Karnverloren were notoriously difficult to navigate. 

Carmilla was grateful for that. It kept the area private. She could leave the house for years without worrying that kids would smash up ancient heirlooms and spray abuse on the walls. 

Carmilla expected to find Laura wandering amongst the trees. She would have to approach her carefully, people that are scared are often dangerous. In this case Laura would probably be more of a danger to herself than Carmilla. 

The trail was going on longer than Carmilla expected. She pressed her nose to the floor, checking that it really was a fresh scent of Laura that she was following. 

Carmilla was confused. Somehow Laura must have found the path out. It didn't make sense. Unless you knew the exact pattern of the thick undergrowth, various rivers and rockfalls, escape would be nigh on impossible. Mica shook her head in disbelief. Emma's child was more than she'd expected.

Carmilla had to stop when she reached the border of Silas. Sure, weird was the norm in the small town, but she still wasn't sure the residents would react well to a large panther roaming its streets.  
Carmilla only preceded once she was safely back in human form. It didn't take long to trace Laura's scent to outside the library. Carmilla breathed out. It was an explanation. Laura must have been late for her placement. Carmilla turned and walked back the way she'd came.

Carmilla was annoyed at herself. She'd launched into panic mode at nothing. Ever since she'd invited Laura to stay at Karnverloren house with her, Carmilla had been on edge. 

There were too many clues lying about the place, and Laura was the type of person with a mind for enquiry. Carmilla knew it was only a matter of time before she'd know everything. Carmilla hoped it wouldn't be too soon. She wanted to find more out about Laura, before Laura could find out more about her.

Laura was a link to the past. The evening before Carmilla had been overwhelmed. Everything flooded back to her as Laura stood in the drawing room. The good and the bad. Remembering times of happiness was almost more painful than remembering it crash into chaos. They reminded Carmilla of what she had lost. 

A hurried exit was the only way that Carmilla knew how to respond. She knew she was bad at facing up to things. It'd taken a few hours of fast paced walking through the foul weather before Carmilla felt composed enough to return. Even then, she'd only been able to return as Mica. Being a cat dulled the emotions, made life easier when things were tough.

Carmilla sighed. Maybe she should go into the library so that Laura didn't think that she'd abandoned her. Even Carmilla could see that it was cruel to invite someone as a guest, and then disappear completely without explanation. Her aim perhaps wasn't to become friends with Laura, but it certainly wasn't to become enemies.

Carmilla walked up the library's familiar granite steps. The stone was warped from hundreds of years of footsteps. They would have to be replaced soon. Carmilla could remember the library being built. 

She caught a glimpse of her face in the library's large front windows. It looked the same as all the way back then. Carmilla cringed at her own inhumanity. Even rocks could pass away and she'd still stand. 

Carmilla placed her hand on the door, but stopped before opening it. She didn't even need to open it to know that Laura wasn't inside. 

Carried away by her thoughts, Carmilla hadn't even noticed that Laura's smell had faded. She span and scanned the street. If Laura hadn't been going to the library, where had she been going? 

A thread was beginning to work its way loose from the side of Carmilla's black jeans. She began to pick at it whilst thinking through in her mind the possible places that Laura could have gone.

Tracing her way back down the street, Carmilla searched for where she'd lost the trail. 

She'd been searching for Laura's scent, but she recognised another as soon as she retraced her steps back down the road. Its presence was weak, but it intermingled with Laura's. Carmilla knew who Laura was with.

Unconsciously, Carmilla dug her nails into the palms of her hands. Was that why Laura had hurried out the door? Had she been late for some meeting with Danny?

Questions flashed through Carmilla's head. What were they talking about? Carmilla didn't trust Danny. Would Laura tell Danny about Mica or Carmilla?

Carmilla felt unhinged. Half lost in thought, she wound through the streets following the delicate thread of smell to its source.

Although summer should have been approaching, the weather of the night before lingered. It felt like autumn. Carmilla saw a man shiver and pull his coat to his chest as she passed him. Carmilla looked at her bare arms. Not a single goosebump. Rock can't feel.

Warm light poured out from the diner into the cloudy morning. Carmilla saw from the other side of the glass the people within. She searched the faces for the familiar one. Once she'd caught it, her eyes were locked.

Laura looked beautiful. She was laughing. Carmilla realised she'd never seen Laura really laugh. Her chestnut hair seemed to shine golden in the light. Her eyes were tired, but they spoke of a deep warmth within her.

Carmilla tore her eyes away to take in what she was doing. Laura was having an animated conversation with a very happy looking Danny. The hairs on the back of Carmilla's neck lifted. She felt a surge of loathing in her chest. 

Was Laura really so brainless that she would rush out in the morning just to meet up with that lowlife? Her lip twisted in disgust as she saw Danny's hand reach across the table to meet Laura's. 

She turned and walked away. There was no point sticking around any longer, Laura obviously wasn't concerned about Carmilla. She hadn't seen anything at the house. In some ways it was beneficial, hopefully Laura would be distracted enough not to snoop about the house. 

Maybe if she was lucky Laura would even move out and in with Danny. It had been a bad snap decision to let her stay. Once she left, Carmilla would be able to try and forget the past again. Emma had been her walking stick, Laura couldn't become the same.

By the time she reached the lake in the forest, Carmilla had a bottle in one hand and a box in the other. She shivered as she stripped down to her underwear. 

Before she went into the water Carmilla told herself she would manage it this time. She would be able to get over what happened before Laura, before Emma, before any of it.

She took the last swig of the bottle before throwing it to the side and picking up the wooden box with both hands. Her feet moved hesitantly forwards onto the boards of the pontoon. Carmilla moved on automatic. She was sure that if she gave her brain control of her legs she'd run away.

She set down the crate at the end of the long platform floating on top of the clear water. She lifted the lid and looked inside the box. Just big enough to get in. Carmilla looked up and across the still water. It reflected the cloud filled sky like a mirror.

She placed one foot inside. The interior felt rough, none of its edges were sandpapered. She made sure half of the box was hanging off the edge of the pontoon before curling herself inside the small space.

Carmilla took one last look at the grey sky before reaching an arm out and pulling the lid over and securing herself into darkness.

By this stage Carmilla's trembling had become extreme. She closed off her mind to its protestations. She wasn't going back now. If she could do this, maybe the nightmares and flashbacks would stop. She wouldn't need to depend on anyone anymore. She wouldn't need someone like Emma or Laura to guide her out of the darkness, she could do it herself.

 

Carmilla felt cold sweat running down her brow. It was becoming difficult to breathe in the small space. She reminded herself that she didn't need to breathe anyway. It was an awful feeling, but it wouldn't kill her.

Deadening her mind, Carmilla began to lean towards the side of the crate hanging over the water. It tilted gently but didn't budge. She tried again, but the crate wouldn't move. Carmilla knew that if she opened the lid to move the box, she wouldn't have the courage to seal herself in again. 

In a rage Carmilla threw herself at the side of the box. She could barely move, but it was enough to jolt the space closer to the edge. She could feel the box begin to teeter on the edge. She was almost there. It only took one jolt more before the box slowly began to tip and then fall from the side.

The cold of the water shocked Carmilla as it suddenly rushed into the space, filling it instantly. She no longer knew which way the sky was as she span down into the deep.

This was okay she told herself. She could deal with the cold and the dark. She didn't need to breathe. But then the flashbacks kicked in.

Suddenly the water around her felt like the viscous fluid of blood. Her mind flew back to the turn of the century. Once again she was being interred in a coffin full of the gory red liquid.

Carmilla tore her hands at the rough wooden panels. She wanted nothing more than to get out. Within a second she'd lost all resolve to try and muscle through the flashback. 

By bringing back the past, Carmilla had hoped that she could finally forget it. In her desperation she didn't see her failed logic.

In 1872 Carmilla had been left in that coffin to waste away her long centuries in the dark.

For decades, she rotted under the earth. And then the war came. The last great war of the modern world, that ran the earth with tanks and mines and bombs. So, her punishment came to an end and she walked off the battlefield in Austria to greet the 20th century.

But it never really left her. 

She'd needed Emma to help her cope, but now there was no one to care for her. Laura was not going to be her new pillar to lean on. 

Carmilla's scream was dampened by the water that surrounded her. 

She began to shake violently, fluctuating between forms. Carmilla found herself unable to control what she was. She was burning through energy at a catastrophic rate. 

During the last time, she had passed out from lack of energy whilst in cat form. It was the ginger who discovered her, weeks later, and pulled her up out of the deep and back onto dry land. 

Nothing but darkness surrounded Carmilla. She tried to tell herself that she could do it, but not one spark of hope lit her eyes. They were as dead and as dark as the cold water that swirled around her. Many times she had tried this before, and many times she had failed.

The fluxing stopped. Carmilla's body grew limp. She slumped at the side of the box, eyes sightlessly staring into the darkness. 

Still caught up in her vision of the past, Carmilla didn't hear when something entered the water. It was only when an object hit the box's side that she jolted back into the present. 

With a thump the wood was struck again and began to splinter inwards. Carmilla watched dumbly as fingers entered and wrapped themselves around the boards, prying them off. 

Murky light entered. All Carmilla could see was a silhouette reaching in and grabbing her around the waist before tugging her out. 

The figure held onto her and propelled them both towards the surface. It was only once she was being carried onto the shore that Carmilla fully awoke from her daze. 

She would have looked to see who was carrying her, but she was being held over a shoulder. Carmilla carefully angled her knee and hit the guy in the chest. He groaned and doubled over. Carmilla then delivered a knifehand strike to the middle of his back and the guy collapsed to the floor.

'Duuudddde' the guy moaned. 'Ouch. I just saved you.'

'I didn't want to be saved.' Carmilla retorted. She was still breathing heavily, but reality was coming back to her. She had failed. Again. She needed to be able to get through it without freaking out or flashing back. 

Carmilla began marching back towards the waters edge. She was strong enough. She could go back in.

A strong tackle brought her to the floor.

'What the heck are you doing?' The guy yelled. 

'Overcoming my weaknesses.' Carmilla snapped, throwing him off herself and bringing herself to her feet again.

'What weakness? Not being able to breathe underwater?'

'Get lost creep. This is my business.'

The guy ran around in front of her and held his hands out sideways, trying to block her path to the water. Carmilla had to give it to him, he was persistent.

Carmilla snarled. 'Let me past. You have no second chance.'

The guy shook his head rapidly. He looked like a frightened puppy.

'Zetas protect people.'

'I'm not a person.'

'Yes you are. We're having a conversation aren't we?'

'You can speak to an animal can't you?'

'Yeah but animals won't speak back.'

'Neither will you if you carry on blocking my path.'

'I won't let you hurt yourself. It'd be such a waste of a hottie. Not on my watch.'

He pointed to the watch on his wrist grinning. He then stared down at it, and looked up to Carmilla with a horrified expression on his face.

'Dude, it's broken. I forgot to take it off. I got from Theo after my Zeta Omega Mu initiation. I had to swear a vow.' He straightened up and thumped a fist to his chest. '"If there's a hottie, we'll be on her." That's why I couldn't let you drown yourself. Zeta's protect. Even if you don't think you're a person.'

'Very chivalrous.' Carmilla drawled. Somehow she'd lost her will to fight. Curing herself like this was hopeless, she'd have to find some other way. 

Carmilla slumped down onto the floor and sat, staring out at the lake. The boy sat down next to her. She wished he'd go away.

'I'm Kirsch.'

Carmilla nodded, not looking in his direction.

'Are you okay? I was jogging, I have a match Friday, and I saw you. I mean, I'm all for hotties undressing, but then you went into the water and didn't come up. I figured you'd been practicing a magic trick or something and it went wrong.'

'The only thing that went wrong was you breaking me out.'

'I'm sorry. Don't move. I'll go get your clothes.'

Carmilla could see him out of the corner of her vision running over towards the pontoon. She hugged onto her wet legs. Her hair stuck to the side of her face.

The nightmares would return again. She couldn't escape them. Every time she slept she'd see nothing but black, and feel the edges of the coffin digging into her sides. Only by the morning would her dreams soften into oblivion, and she could rest easy until midday.

Emma used to come into Carmilla's room and hold her hand if she screamed in her sleep. Even though she was unconscious, it would help, just to have someone there, just to know she wasn't alone. The warmth that Emma extended to Carmilla dispelled the darkness like the light of dawn.

Carmilla smiled to remember Emma's deep care for her. Her eyes deadened to remember that she was gone. She'd have to continue on alone. No one else would expel such care for someone like her.

Ignoring the boy's request, Carmilla stood and walked away. She could turn into Mica in the woods and be at Karnverloren in minutes. She'd have a shower then go out and see where Laura had got to. 

She hoped that by now Danny had asked Laura to stay with her and the Summers instead. That Laura would forget Mica and accept. Carmilla didn't trust Danny, but Laura wasn't her's to protect. In the end, only moving away from the past could ever let her forget it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I've been busy recently. Things are quieting down after this Sunday so I'll be able to return to the regular update schedule of every Friday. Thanks for sticking with the story so far, let me know what you think and how you're enjoying it.
> 
> Want to find me or ask a question? You can go to sealion727.tumblr.com. At the moment it's mainly a Carmilla related blog, but I'm open to posting more about either The Stray Cat or myself. 
> 
> Update next Friday. See you then :)


	18. Chapter 18

Laura had wanted to accept Danny's offer to stay with her, but Mica's needs lingered at the corners of her mind.

Laura decided to say little about her new home. She suspected that Danny would dislike the idea that she'd moved in with a complete stranger. Usually Laura would have agreed with her, you can never be too careful when it comes to safety. But on the other hand Laura didn't see Carmilla as a stranger. She trusted her.

For the moment taking Danny to see the house felt like a betrayal of that trust between her and Carmilla. The building held an abandoned air of mystery which Laura wanted to explore, uninhibited by articles of the outside world.

In fact, by the later half of her brunch with Danny, Laura found herself becoming eager to get back. Their conversation was interesting, but Laura's thoughts kept drifting back to the ancient house, with its stone walls and winding corridors.

Laura wanted to open every door and see what lay behind it. She was almost grateful when Danny got a call and had to go outside to take it.

From behind the glass Laura watched her pace back and forth, phone clutched to her ear. Danny seemed to be stressed about whatever the person was saying. It was difficult to hear the contents of the conversation. Laura didn't want to look like she was listening in so twirled the straw in her glass, grabbing occasional sideways glances.

The call was quite brief. Danny put her phone back in her pocket and went back inside. She attempted to smile as she walked over towards Laura. It was clear she was still concerned about whatever it was.

'Okay, Some bad news. I may need to go off for a while.'

'Summer society stuff?'

'You really would make a good journalist.'

Laura tried to pretend that she wanted Danny to stay. They walked together to the end of the street, but then parted ways. 

Laura desperately wanted to go back to the house, but there was something else she wanted to see first. 

The first thing that hit her as she walked towards it was the smell of smoke hanging in the damp air. It clawed its way into her nostrils. Laura felt sick. The burns on her arm tingled with the memory. 

Orange warning tape cordoned off the whole area. Laura looked up at the skeleton of the building. Black soot stains rose above windows, marking out where the flames had been strongest. No glass panes remained, they would have been shattered with the force of the heat. 

Laura ignored the tape and ducked beneath it, heading towards the door. She checked to her sides. No one was about. 

The door hung open so Laura just walked inside. The bottom floor barely affected. Trusting that there would still be enough structural stability left, Laura began ascending the staircase.

As she moved upwards the effects of the fire became more and more evident. At first the wallpaper was just yellowed, but as she progressed it turned blacker and blacker. It had peeled off the walls in small strips. 

Eventually she had to stop. The stairs had fallen away and she could go no higher. Laura had hoped to have seen her room, perhaps to have salvaged a few items or clothes. She saw now that her idea was futile. 

Laura had expected to feel a greater sense of loss. She descended the stairs and walked out again. 

She traveled back to the house the same route she came from. Eventually the mansion materialised through the trees. 

Laura called for Mica as she stepped through the threshold. She'd only been gone a few hours, the panther would probably still be asleep.

The living room was empty. Laura walked back out into the hall. She called up the stairs, but there was no reply. In fact, the only noise was the growl of Laura's stomach. She decided to hunt for the kitchen.

It took some time. There were many rooms, but Laura couldn't find the mysterious downwards staircase. That was until she remembered that in a mansion this old it wouldn't have been the owners cooking, but the servants.

From then, it didn't take long. She knew that there would be entrances to the servants quarters hidden about the house. Laura knocked on various pieces of wooden panelling until she found one that sounded hollow. It was below the regular stairs. 

Laura placed her hands against the wood before sliding it to the side, revealing the staircase. Without hesitation she followed it downwards and into a long straight tunnel.

The plain whitewashed brickwork of this new section contrasted with the elaboracy of the rest of the house.

Laura pushed open a heavy black door to reveal an empty room. The next was the same. Further on she found one that was lined with shelves, but all the shelves were empty. She found the laundry room and two enormous wine cellars before finally reaching the kitchens. 

Laura brushed a cobweb from her sleeve. The whole place looked like it belonged in a museum. Various pots and pans hung above an old iron stove. A massive worktop in the center of the room was covered in various glass jars and chopping boards.

A thick layer of dust coated the all the surfaces. Laura wondered where Carmilla usually cooked, it didn't look like anyone had been down there in years. In fact there had obviously been no one down in so long that Laura doubted that there was any edible food left. 

She was kneeling down to rifle through the cupboards as she heard the front door close upstairs. Laura got to her feet and looked up. Was that Carmilla back again?

She hurriedly climbed up the steps again.

Carmilla was still standing on the front mat, her head against her hand, which rested on the door. She was soaking and wearing nothing but underwear. She looked so tired, like she hadn't rested in years.

Laura felt afraid to say anything in case the girl snapped at her, like she was prone to do. 

'Um. Are you okay?' Laura asked, in barely a whisper.

Carmilla's head slowly turned. Her eyes met Laura's, fixing her with an icy glare.

'You're still here.'

Laura took a step backwards.

'I am. This is my home too now.' 

Carmilla raised her eyebrows.

'What happened to your clothes?' Laura asked. There had to be an explanation for turning up half naked on such a cloudy day.

'Wouldn't you like to know' Carmilla drawled, dragging a finger under her bra strap as she stepped towards Laura. A light flashed in her eyes, like a cat amused by a mouse.

'Yes, I would actually.' Laura wanted answers. Why was she wet? Why had she looked so weary as she stepped through the door?

Carmilla dropped her act. 'It doesn't matter. I was just swimming and some guy thought it would be funny to steal my clothes.'

Laura was unconvinced. Carmilla passed her and disappeared up the stairs. Laura didn't follow. The girl obviously needed some space, who knows how long she had lived on her own. She certainly didn't seem used to having someone else living alongside her.

Laura moved into the living-room and sat on the couch. She worried. Where had Carmilla slept last night? Had she slept outside in the rain because Laura was in her house? It would provide an explanation for the soaking wet clothes and tiredness.

Ten minutes later Laura heard the stairs creak. Carmilla appeared in the door, fully dressed and drying her hair in a towel.

'Sorry. I'm not being a very good host.'

Laura shifted in her seat. She couldn't quite tell whether Carmilla was being sincere or not.

Carmilla threw her towel on a chair, before leaving the room again. Laura got up and rushed after her.

Carmilla waved her hand apathetically at the ceiling.

'This is Karnverloren house. It used to be Karnverloren castle, but that was destroyed.'

'How?'

'Doesn't matter.'

Laura was irritated at the lack of answer. 

'You'll need to get food in. There'll be nothing but a few cans downstairs.'

'I saw.'

Carmilla yawned and proceeded along the hallway. 

'There should be enough books to fill your time, I know you're working at the library but...'

Carmilla didn't finish her sentence. Laura watched from behind as Carmilla swayed on the spot. Instantly she rushed forwards to support her. It was just in time. Laura's arms moved beneath Carmilla's just as her feet gave way.

Carmilla wasn't particularly heavy, but the dead weight made holding her difficult for Laura to manage. As gently as she could, Laura lowered the body to the floor.

It wasn't long before Carmilla's eyes blinked open groggily.

'What...?' Carmilla slurred. She looked confused.

Laura looked down at her. 

'You fainted. Someone hasn't been getting enough sleep.'

'I don't need to sleep.'

'You obviously do.'

'I can only sleep in the mornings. It's not my fault I have been woken two mornings in a row.'

Carmilla gave Laura a pointed look as if to suggest that she was to blame. Laura furrowed her eyebrows. She hadn't been with Carmilla either morning. If tiredness was messing with her mind this much, Carmilla really did need to get some rest.

'Come on, you're getting some sleep now.'

Laura hoisted Carmilla up and onto her shoulder. Carmilla half walked, half leaned on her as they travelled into the sitting room. Laura lay Carmilla down onto the sofa.

Carmilla was still shivering. Laura placed her hand against her skin. It felt warm to the touch. She figured that blankets were a good idea anyway.

'Let me just find you some blankets.'

Carmilla shook her head. 'I don't get cold.'

Laura ignored her. 'Where are they kept?'

Carmilla gave in, pointing upwards vaguely. 'Third room along on the right. I keep them in the chest at the end of the bed.'

Laura left her and took the stairs two at a time. She followed the corridor along and opened the door.

The room inside was black. Laura had to use the light from her phone to find her way to what she supposed must be the chest. It took a few tries for Laura to lift the thick wooden lid. The hinges had become stuck from many years of disuse. 

Laura lifted out two thick woollen blankets before dropping the heavy lid shut.   
Laura returned to the sofa to find it empty. Instead, Carmilla was slumped in an armchair on the opposite side of the room. She was holding a book in her hand, but had obviously fallen asleep. Laura snickered under her breath. 

She sidled up to Carmilla and tapped her on the shoulder. A jolt shot through Carmilla's body and she sat up straight. She lifted the book to her face, and stared at it with overly wide eyes.

'You don't need sleep huh?'

Carmilla looked up and scowled at her. 

'I just need some caffeine. I can sleep tomorrow.'

'But why? Just sleep now.'

Laura pulled Carmilla up and guided her over to the sofa. Carmilla grumbled in protest, but let Laura lead her anyway.

As she lay back against the leather, Carmilla's eyes closed automatically. Laura picked up one of the blankets and drew it over the sleeping girl. 

Laura stopped to look down at Carmilla. Her hair was still dripping wet, but the shivering seemed to have subsided considerably. Laura decided to go out to find some wood to start the fire.

As she turned to leave Laura almost screamed as she felt something wrap around her ankle. She looked down to discover Carmilla's hand holding her in place. 

Carmilla spoke. She sounded afraid.

'You must wake me before night falls.'

Her grip slackened and the hand fell to the floor. Laura turned to look at her, but Carmilla appeared to be fast asleep.

A loud knock made Laura jump. She checked Carmilla once over, before leaving the room and making her way towards the noise. 

Laura's first thought had been that Mica was at the door, but it had definitely been a human knock. Laura had no further thoughts on who it could be.

She opened the door cautiously, but swiftly realised there was no need when she saw who it was. LaFontaine rushed at Laura as soon as they saw her.

'Laura? You're okay! What are you doing here?' 

Laf was bustling into the hall, but Laura pushed them back out the door.

'Shh. Carmilla's asleep. We'll talk outside.'

Laura stepped out and gently shut the door behind her. She walked towards the woods where they could speak properly.

'Why are you here?' She asked.

'Laura, your flat was burnt down, and then you disappear? Perry was going mad so I had to find you. Why didn't you answer your phone?'

Laura took the phone out of her pocket and looked at it.

'I don't know. There must be no signal, it isn't on silent. Anyway how did you find me?'

'I never told you, but when I was doing the tests on Mica I also gave her a tracking chip. I figured you might be together. I guess I was right. The location led me straight to this house.'

Laura frowned.

'But Mica isn't in the house, I haven't seen her since this morning.'

Laf looked down to the device they were holding in their hand.

'The location on this thing is fairly accurate. Are you sure she isn't there?'

'Not completely. It's a pretty big house, she could easily be hiding.'

'Well I found you anyway. Thankfully I mapped out the path Mica traveled from the lake, I don't think I could have found this place otherwise. I barely did anyway.' 

They pulled a thin branch out of their disheveled hair. 

Laura didn't know Mica had been to the lake. She decided to let it go. There was obviously something wrong with the device but she didn't want to upset Laf.

'I need to call home. Perry's about to have a panic attack. She's on the edge of calling the police to start an investigation. It scares her if everything isn't in place.'

Laura nodded. She knew exactly how Perry could be. Laf had a hard enough time as it was.

'Sorry. I'll make sure I call next time.'

'Thanks. I need to get back to somewhere with signal.'

'I'll come with you. I need to pick up some supplies.'

Laura was loath to leave, but if there was no food in the basement then she had to at some point anyway. Exploring the labyrinth of corridors would have to wait for another time.

By then Laura knew the path out to Silas pretty well. On the way she explained to Laf the previous day's events; how Carmilla had saved her from the fire, and how she had ended up living in the old mansion. She left out the details of her interactions with Carmilla. 

Laf was silent for the majority of the journey, listening carefully to Laura's story.

'So this, Carmilla, still hasn't met Mica?' Laf asked once she was finished.

'Not properly, but she knows I'm not lying, she saw Mica run out of the fire and also standing in the square.'

Laura heard Laf mutter something under their breath. 

They checked their phone. Apparently they were back into signal. Laf pulled the mobile up to their ear.

Laf talked for a short while before handing over to Laura. She reassured Perry that she was alive and safe before handing the phone back.

Laura went into the first shop she could find and bought as much food as she could carry. Laura parted with Laf in Silas, assuring them that she'd be okay. The long route back to Karnverloren felt even longer with the heavy shopping bags weighing her down. By the time she reached the house she was exhausted.

Laura dropped the bags by the front door before pushing it open. The evening was approaching and Laura remembered that she still hadn't collected any firewood. She shuttled the bags into the hall before traveling back out into the forest.

The rain the night before made it difficult to find any dry wood. In the end Laura just had to pick up the best she could find. 

Once the woodpile was reasonably large Laura went back inside. Carmilla was still in a deep sleep. Laura sat on the armchair and picked up the book Carmilla had been reading.

The book was on some confusing philosophical dictates. Not exactly light evening reading. Laura glanced over the pages at the girl lying on the sofa. She looked so peaceful, it seemed a shame to wake her.

Laura stood and put the book back down. She went into the hall to collect the new box of matches before attempting to light the damp wood in the hearth. 

It was beginning to get dark but the wood refused to catch alight. Laura heard Carmilla behind her let out a sigh and turn over. Laura struck another match. 

Carmilla groaned loudly. Laura turned to look at her. Carmilla had kicked the blanket off and was shivering again. Laura replaced the blanket before returning to struggling with the fire. 

If Carmilla was to get warm, she needed the fire to light. Laura picked up another piece of newspaper and held a match to it before holding it beneath the pile of sticks. Smoke rose lazily from the branches as they finally lit.

'Bingo'

Laura was proud of herself as she stood up. It had taken a while, and it was letting off way too much smoke, but she'd managed it.

Her happiness collapsed as a bloodcurdling scream filled the space. 

Outside a murder of crows flew from their trees, startled by the noise. Their harsh cries echoed Carmilla's. 

The crows flew off into the firmament, swooping and twirling like dark emissaries of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Updates EVERY WEEK on FRIDAYS.


	19. Chapter 19

Laura didn't know what to do when she heard the scream. A small voice in her head repeated the earlier warning that the Karnstein girl had given her.

'Wake me before night falls.'

Laura turned from the fire, towards her host. On the couch Carmilla lay, tossing and turning in some hideous nightmare. 

Instantly all that Laura wanted to do was to wake the girl, to bring her back into the kinder reality. 

She held back. Hadn't she heard that waking people from nightmares was dangerous? But then again, maybe that was only advice on sleepwalkers. Laura didn't know. She didn't want the shock of reality to hurt Carmilla even more.

Laura took a careful step forwards. She could see beads of sweat dripping down from her forehead. The long flickering shadows of the fire animated her tortured expression. 

Carmilla raised two hands to her throat and began coughing and spluttering. It was as if she was deep underwater, and she was drowning.

'Carm?' Laura whispered.

Her hand hovered over the sleeping body, unsure of whether to wake it. 

The body began jerking, as if it was beginning to fit. Laura moved her hand down, resting it on the girl's shoulders.

'Carm... I'm here.'

At first a shoulder twitch shook Laura's hand off, but Laura persevered. 

'You are safe. You are in Karnverloren. I am right here with you.'

The jerking began to settle. Carmilla curled up into herself. Laura was transfixed by her expression. It was so sad. Tears streamed from beneath her shut eyelids. 

Laura sat by her side, brushing the wild black hair from her face. Carmilla began to shiver. Laura looked over at the fire, it was still going strong. She picked up the blankets that Carmilla had kicked off, and placed them back over the sleeping body.

Carmilla began to moan, Laura moved straight to her side. The garbled sounds resembled words, but Laura couldn't tell what she was saying. The noises dissolved into sobs. 

'No.' Carmilla called out, at once her words decipherable. 'You can't leave me here.'

Laura found her hand and held it.

'Shh... I'm not leaving you.'

Carmilla's eyebrows furrowed.

'Maman... please.'

Laura watched as Carmilla begged the absent third person for some sort of release. With her free hand Laura stroked the back of Carmilla's head. 

'It's okay, she isn't here. She can't hurt you.' 

Laura didn't know who "she" was, but her words seemed to do the trick. Carmilla set out a sigh and gripped tightly onto Laura's hand. Her face softened, finally reassured by Laura's presence.

Carmilla pulled Laura's arm to her chest. She smiled gently as she said the name.

'Emma.'

Laura took a sharp intake of breath. It was a coincidence. It had to be. Hearing her mother's name was a shock, but it was a fairly common name. It wasn't surprising that Carmilla should have known someone in her past that shared it.

Her hand against Carmilla's skin, Laura could feel the gentle movement of her breathing. Carmilla's face suddenly struck her as beautiful. In sleep, she lost the expression of bitterness or anger that she usually carried around. 

For once she looked happy and contented. Laura wondered who Emma had been, that could quell Carmilla's pain like that. She wondered where she was now, Carmilla always seemed so alone.

Laura was beginning to feel tired, but couldn't abandon Carmilla whilst she was sleeping so soundly. Keeping her hand in Carmilla's Laura climbed over the girl and lay behind her. She pulled Carmilla into her embrace, allowing her warmth to travel into the cold body.

Laura sighed deeply as she settled down into the position. Her nose was tickled by Carmilla's dark hair. It had a fresh smell, like damp earth after a snow melt or pavement before the rain comes.

In that moment she felt peaceful, as if her natural place was lying next to Carmilla. Laura was confused. Carmilla had always seemed like broken glass, like you would cut your hand if you got too close. 

Laura watched the flickering flames in the hearth as she held the girl. The tide of sleep washed over her quickly, dragging her down into the depths of slumber.

\-----

By morning the fire was out and Carmilla was gone. When Laura awoke, the first thing she noticed was the empty space next to her. Then she saw the folded piece of paper lying on the table.

Laura stood and stretched as she walked over. Rubbing her eyes, Laura picked up the notepaper and looked at it.

Written in a elegant hand was the following:

Laura,

Welcome to Karnverloren. I may not be around much for a while. Feel free to explore the house and its grounds. I only ask that you don't enter the attic room in the east tower. 

Carmilla Karnstein.

P.S. If you need clothes to replace what was lost in the fire, you can have anything from the room where you found the blankets.

Laura put down the ominous note. In a way she was a little disappointed, she had hoped that Carmilla would show her around. Maybe in that way she would have been able to weed out a little of the mystery that the woman was obviously hiding.

When she turned out of the room, Laura was pleased to find that she wouldn't be doing a solo tour of the estate after all. Mica was sat in the hall scratching distractedly at the floorboards.

'Mica' Laura exclaimed.

She rushed forwards and hugged the Panther. Mica growled half heartedly and took a step backwards. Laura smiled, she had wondered where the grumpy creature had gotten to.

'You keep missing Carmilla.' Laura told her. 'You'd get on great. Probably both leave me to go off and sulk somewhere together.' 

Mica looked at her, unimpressed.

'Well you can stay and mope around here in the corridor, but I'm going to look around.' 

Laura marched off down the hallway. She cast a sideways glance to see if the cat would follow. It stood there reluctantly for a few seconds, before giving in and trailing after her. 

There were more rooms than Laura had expected. The house spread across four floors, each with winding corridors lined with doors. On the ground floor she found parlours, music rooms, libraries and even a ballroom. The majority of rooms on the next floor up seemed to be bedrooms, except for the occasional bathroom or study.

Laura could tell that the house had remained unused for many years. The rooms she peeked inside were dark, boards clamped over their windows. Sheets were draped over furniture, and those sheets were covered in thick layers of dust.

The whole building smelt of must and varnished mahogany. Even the libraries were neglected, the books falling apart as Laura picked them up to read in the light of her phone.

It was strange. Laura had expected the building to be light and airy. She imagined the rooms as they were before, the summer sun streaming in through the windows, music filling the hallways. It felt as if the house was hibernating, its layers of dust hiding some slumbering secret.

Laura continued on through the corridors, followed closely by Mica. Whenever Laura went into a room Mica would wait in the corridor, pacing until she came back. 

Most of the morning Laura spent exploring the house. It was so large that most rooms she just glanced at before moving onto the next. Eventually checking rooms began tedious, all of them unlit and covered in dust sheets.

Laura began simply wandering the corridors, trying to map in her head the strange layout of the building. She had thought that she had traveled the whole of the upper floor, when she noticed a passageway trailing off to the left.

It caught Laura's attention since, unlike the rest of the house, it's walls were not lined with entrances. A solitary door stood at the end, half enshrouded in darkness. Mica growled loudly as Laura walked towards it.

It occurred to Laura that this was probably the east side of the building. If she opened the door it would lead into that particular attic she wasn't allowed into. It wasn't clear or not whether it was though. If Carmilla got annoyed about her going inside, Laura could always say that she didn't know that it was the room she was banned from.

Laura stopped before the dark mahogany and placed her hand to it. It wasn't just Carmilla's warnings, there was something else drawing her to go inside. 

Laura lifted her hand from the door. She should leave. Carmilla had only given her one rule.

She felt herself tugged back by her jumper. Mica had grabbed an edge in her mouth and was dragging Laura backwards.

Laura pulled her jumper back.

'Stop it. I need to go in here. It might hold some answers about our mysterious Countess Karnstein.'

Laura swirled back to the door, fuelled by the power of her thirst for investigation. Her hand moved down to the handle and pulled. 

The door refused to open. It was odd, she hadn't come across a locked door yet. She sighed, Carmilla obviously locked it because she didn't trust her. Obviously she had good reason not to. 

She turned to see Mica fixing her with a sour look.

'What? I wasn't going to go in properly, just peek around the corner.'

Laura didn't know why she was lying to the Panther, it wouldn't understand her anyway.

She had to brush against the wall to get past it and back towards the stairs.

Laura went into the room where the blankets had been stored. She figured it was as good a room as any to make her home for a while. 

The room was in the same condition as the others. Laura spent about an hour taking down the boards from the windows and removing dust sheets from the furniture. She replaced the sheets on the bed with new ones from the chest and lay down on it.

The gentle afternoon sun streaming through the windows did wonders to the room. It no longer felt dark and stuffy, but light and airy. Laura was just beginning to drift off, when the door creaked.

She jumped and looked up at it. The door moved a little more. A black snout poked its way in, soon followed by the rest of Mica. Laura was pleased the cat didn't still seem too angry.

Mica leaped up onto the bed and settled down next to Laura. Laura drew her hands through the thick fur for a while, before getting up to search through the wardrobes.

The clothes were obviously Carmilla's, dark colours, leather pants, but they looked like they hadn't been touched in a decades. Laura was pretty sure that Carmilla would have been way too small for them back then.

She shrugged and picked up a red and black checked shirt. Maybe she had a much older sister or something and this was their clothes.

Mica watched lazily from the bed as Laura changed into black skinny jeans and a tight fitting band t-shirt. Laura spun, presenting herself to the panther.

'Voila! What do you think?'

The cat sighed and shook its head. It was quite a humanlike gesture, but Laura decided not to look into it. She was probably just anthropomorphising her.

'I know. Not exactly my style. It'll have to do until I can buy more.'

Laura went to take a shower. She spent the rest of the day exploring the basement of the house and its grounds. The garden was so overgrown it was difficult to tell where it stopped and the woods started.

It was about four in the afternoon by the time Laura realised that she'd completely forgotten about her library placement. Hopefully she could get away with it if she apologised to the librarian.

The next day it turned out that the librarian hadn't even noticed Laura gone. Despite that fact, Laura made sure to put in extra effort over the next few days. 

Carmilla was nowhere to be seen that first week. It wasn't just because Laura was out during the daytime, she was pretty sure that Carmilla hadn't been home at all. She became afraid that she'd done something to upset her. 

Perhaps when Carmilla had woken with Laura's arms wrapped around her, she'd misread the situation and thought Laura was a creep. Or maybe Carmilla was kind enough to give her a home, but didn't actually like Laura and was avoiding her. 

For whatever reason, Carmilla was nowhere to be seen. Laura sulked. Mica was good company, but she wanted someone to have a conversation with in the evenings. 

She found herself missing Carmilla, her wild dark hair, her sarcastic remarks, the enigma of her past. 

She scratched behind the ears of the big cat. It pulled into her embrace, purring. 

Everyday after returning from the Library, Laura continued travelling the corridors of Karnverloren. She was sure its dark passageways and hollows would open up to her some secret, if only she had the will to persevere and find it. 

But however much Laura explored, that one forbidden room remained on her mind. Laura burned with curiosity every time she traced past that side of the building. Each time she checked the door, and each time it was locked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter :)
> 
> The schedule is going to have to change to fortnightly for a while (Sorry!) but don't worry, that just allows me to catch up a little and ensure the quality of my work remains good.
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Next chapter will be posted FRIDAY 2nd October


	20. Chapter 20

A ray of light crept through the edge of the curtains, tickling Carmilla's black snout. She wrinkled her nose before moving her head and burying it in Laura's side. The girl mumbled in her sleep, before wrapping an arm over Mica to hold her close.

Carmilla purred. She could feel Laura's gentle breaths moving up and down beneath her massive paws. The morning was possibly her favourite time of day. She drifted in and out of sleep, shadows of the past washed out by the warming sun.

Laura liked the panther. She would nestle against Mica's side as she fell asleep at night. Carmilla would rest, but remain awake until morning. Only once that first ray of dawn illuminated the room would she allow herself to descend into slumber.

Carmilla was still afraid the nightmares would return. She'd had them the previous Sunday night, Laura hadn't woken her. Carmilla wondered whether Laura ever listened to a word she said. 

She'd awoken as the sun was rising, opening her eyes to the dim glow of dawn. One of the first things she'd noticed was Laura's arms holding onto her tightly. She'd carefully extracted herself from the embrace and stood back. 

She couldn't let Laura take care of her. Already Laura was becoming too close, beginning to imagine they were friends. Carmilla couldn't let that happen. She'd discover their history, and it would hurt her.

She carefully wrote out the note, changed into Mica and waited until the girl awoke. It would be of no consequence if Carmilla as human never made an appearance in Laura's life again. In that way the past could remain hidden. 

Emma's child could still be taken care of. She had the home, and Carmilla could watch over her as Mica. Besides, Carmilla suspected Laura preferred the panther.

It was as if Laura saw absolutely no threat from the massive predator. Carmilla was confused. She was a wall of hard muscle and sharp teeth. Laura didn't truly recognise the monster that she was. Naïve girl, Carmilla thought, one day her unconditional trust was bound to hurt her.

Laura's curiosity about the room was increasing. You could see it burning her up from inside. Despite growling loudly whenever Laura trailed back to stand outside and inspect the lock, mica could do nothing to prevent it. The girl just could not let her curiosity be. 

Telling her the room was forbidden had created the opposite effect that Carmilla had hoped for. Still, she hoped that with time, the girl's interest would wane. 

Mica cast an eye on the sleeping Laura. She was beginning to chew on her bottom lip. Carmilla knew it was a sign that she'd wake soon. The tiny human was getting hungry. 

A few moments later, just as Carmilla had suspected, those wide eyes fluttered open. Laura stretched, sticking out her stomach, before pulling herself to her feet. 

Laura ruffled the fur on Mica's head. Carmilla growled gently. She was not a pet, though Laura obviously seemed to think differently.

'Oh stop being a baby. I'm getting food. You coming?' 

Mica pulled her head away and shut her eyes. Sleep was far more tempting than the prospect of breakfast. 

Laura huffed, but then stood and left. Carmilla drifted back into her doze, uninhibited by the terrors that night brought.

He sleep remained uninterrupted, even by dreams, until a loud knock at the door woke her. Mica raised her head, sniffing the air. Karnverloren didn't have guests. Inquisitive, she left the room to find out who it was. 

She could hear Laura opening the door and welcoming the person inside. From the top of the stairs Mica could hear the muffled voices, she trained her ears forwards to catch wind of the conversation.

It was Laura who was speaking. She was halfway through a sentence.

'...will be somewhere upstairs. I'll go. Wait here a minute.' 

Carmilla heard her footsteps move down the hallway and promptly hid herself back inside the bedroom. 

Was Laura showing somebody the attic room? Had she found a way inside? Carmilla knew that Laura had a good heart, but she couldn't trust her. She seemed to have the sort of personality that would act rashly, even with very little information.

The sound of footfalls moved up the stairs. Carmilla waited for them to pass and travel towards the eastern wing but they didn't. The door in front of Mica opened and Laura walked inside.

'Enough lounging around Mrs grumpy pants, Laf wants to see you.' 

In some ways it was a relief that Laura's concern wasn't with the room. On another level though, Carmilla wished that Laura's attention hadn't shifted to herself. Also, if the small cupcake thought that embarrassing nicknames were the way forwards, she could think again. When Carmilla didn't move, Laura moved around behind and herded Mica out of the room.

As she reluctantly padded down the stairs, Carmilla heard LaFontaine whistle.

'Woah. I know you said she'd grown, but this is incredible.'

She felt Laura following close behind her. Carmilla's steps slowed, she didn't want to feel like an exhibit at a science fair. Laura traced a hand along her back as she moved alongside Mica. 

'Stop looking so worried. Laf was just interested in seeing how you're doing.'

They moved into the front room. Carmilla felt unnerved by the way the ginger was staring, like they wanted to dissect her to find out what secrets were held inside. She flinched as they stepped towards her, but Laura placed a hand on her shoulder. It gave a small amount of comfort. Enough anyway for her to allow LaFontaine inspect her side.

'Amazing. It must be the same specimen, I can still feel the tracking chip here beneath the skin's surface.'

Carmilla's head whipped around. She had been unaware of the short scientist planting the small device under her fur. Perhaps that explained how they had managed to find their way into this part of the woods.

The two humans continued talking about Mica's enhanced condition, but Carmilla wasn't listening. A barrage of questions flooded her mind. Did the tracking chip work in her other forms? How long had it been there? There was a strong possibility, if the ginger was clever enough, that they had already connected all of the dots. 

Carmilla composed herself. This was not like her. She was not one to panic or rush to conclusions. It would be fine, she would deal with the situation if it arose.

She tuned back into the conversation. The scientist was creating some stupidly elaborate theory of how Mica could have grown so much. It did something to ease Carmilla's nerves. Their theory was so wild and far off the mark that it would be long time until she was discovered. 

After a while their conversation moved away from Mica. Carmilla was grateful. 

'Perry wanted me to check you are still okay here. She says you can always move into ours if you feel the need.'

'Thanks, but I think I'm good for now. Mica keeps me company.' 

Laura reclined on the couch, tracing patterns in Mica's fur. LaFontaine moved across the room and took a seat. Carmilla watched as they absorbed their surroundings. 

She felt uncomfortable about LaFontaine being inside Karnverloren. It was as if they were trespassing. Carmilla hadn't even been back herself since Emma. Somehow it had been okay with Laura there. The girl's presence had reassured her, allowing Carmilla to travel back to a place from which she had felt barred.

That wasn't just because Carmilla knew Laura belonged there- the girl's first steps had been along those corridors- it was something within Laura's character itself. Beneath her manic exterior there was one constant. That constant was warmth. Carmilla could feel its energy seep into her system whenever she was near. 

It strengthened her. It meant Carmilla could get the energy she needed to survive without feeding. That was why she wanted Laura with her at Karnverloren. Carmilla convinced herself that she was just using Laura as a walking battery, there was nothing deeper. 

Carmilla didn't like being in the mansion alone. As soon as Laura left in the mornings for work, Carmilla would leave too. Even the paintings in the halls seemed to stare at her in judgement. It would make her shiver as she remembered what the house had witnessed throughout her past.

The intruder turned their attentions to Laura. 

'I see you've got new clothes. Punk rock isn't your usual style.'

Laura looked down at the dark red shirt and ripped jeans she was wearing. 

'These are only temporary. Mine were burnt in the fire. Carmilla let me borrow hers until I can get my own.'

'Figures. Where is said mysterious homeowner?'

Laura shook her head. If Carmilla hadn't known better, she would have said that Laura's face betrayed a faint trace of sadness. 

'I don't know. She isn't really around much. Last Sunday she left a note saying that I'm welcome to stay here, but I haven't seen her since. I expect she felt obligated to take me in since she has such a massive mansion and I was about to be homeless.' 

Laura waved her arms about and then huffed whilst slouching into her seat.

'I doubt she even likes me. Carmilla isn't exactly the warmest person. I don't think she has any actual friends. At first I thought I might be getting through to her, but now I'm pretty sure that was just my imagination.'

Carmilla turned and looked at Laura. Was that really what Laura thought of her? Carmilla wasn't sure what she did feel about the girl, but she was sure it wasn't dislike. Annoyance at her naïveté maybe, fear about her curiosity, but never dislike. 

Laura paused and hugged into Mica. 'At least this one here's keeping me company. Just as grumpy, but at least she's here. I would prefer have Carmilla though. I know it sounds stupid but I just would.'

'Well you do always have a thing for women you can't understand.'

'Shut up, I do not "have a thing" for Carmilla.'

LaFontaine raised an eyebrow at her. Laura's voice became high pitched and doubled in speed.

'She is the most aggravating person I have ever met. When she is here she is either snapping at me or brooding about her existence. The rest of the time she just isn't here because,' Laura began to imitate Carmilla, 'that's just the way the world works, cutie.'

Carmilla didn't know whether to laugh or be insulted by Laura's awful impersonation. It was humorous though, the idea that the small girl could be falling for her. Perhaps it wasn't unrealistic though. Previously Carmilla had had a reputation for capturing the hearts of those who didn't guard them carefully enough.

The ginger didn't stay for long. The conversation drifted onto other subjects and eventually they said that they needed to get back.

As they left they attempted to ruffle Mica's hair, but she promptly snapped at their hand. Laura glared at Mica before shutting the door and disappearing back inside the house. She traced her way up the stairs to find Laura in her room, sitting on the bed. 

Laura jumped when she noticed Mica enter the room. It looked like she had been deep in thought. 

She patted the space on the bed beside her and Carmilla moved into it. If she had a voice, Carmilla would have asked,

Was that really what you think of me?

But she had no voice, and Laura had no idea that Mica and Carmilla were one and the same. Carmilla wanted to keep it that way. There was only so much Laura could find out before she'd know everything. 

They stayed like that a while, Laura resting on Mica's fur. Carmilla let her have that solace. Laura stared into space as she spoke.

'I've should really go now. I'll be back this evening.'

She didn't move for a few minutes, then abruptly got up and left the room. Carmilla could hear her feet pad down the stairs and the front door gently shut.

Carmilla stood and walked to the window, moving into her human form to open the curtain.

Laura was making her way across the unruly grass. The sun shone off the back of the girl's smooth brown hair. Her steps slowed. Carmilla ducked below the window just as Laura's head turned back to look at the house. Hopefully she hadn't seen her.

Carmilla wondered what to do with her day. Laura was probably on her way to the library. It was a Saturday, but day of the week never seemed to have no bearing on whether she decided to turn up or not. 

What Laura had said echoed in Carmilla's head. She had always thought that Laura preferred Mica. It hadn't even occurred to her that Laura might miss her human form. As a human she was grumpy and needy. 

And yet Emma's daughter felt abandoned. Carmilla had neglected to understand what Laura felt, and followed what she had expected the girl to feel.

Perhaps she should go back to Laura as Carmilla. There would be difficulties hiding the truth, and she'd have to juggle her identities, but Laura had had enough loss to last a lifetime. Carmilla wasn't going to be another person leaving her. 

Carmilla decided to follow her and talk.

Outside the day was just beginning to heat up. Carmilla could see the way Laura had gone by the flattened path in the long grass. 

Laura's direction diverted from that which Carmilla had expected. Once out of the district of Karnverloren, she had turned right, rather than continuing along the straight path that would have taken her towards Silas.

With a deepening dread Carmilla began to sense where it was that Laura had gone. 

Her instincts had not been wrong. Carmilla began to shiver as she saw the lake sparkling through the trees. She heard a splash of water and a loud laugh echo towards her.

Carmilla wasn't even aware that she had started running. She was now on the lake's edge and moving quickly towards the pontoon. She could see Laura standing at the end, dressed in a swimming costume and laughing.

Carmilla stopped abruptly at the other end of the walkway. She didn't stop to think before bellowing out,

'What the hell do you think you are doing?'

Laura jumped in shock before turning to face Carmilla.

'What?'

'I said what the hell do you think you are doing. You can't swim here.'

Laura looked confused.

'Why not? Everybody swims here. It's a hot day, it's not dangerous.'

'That's not the point. Don't you dare enter the water.'

Laura's expression turned fierce.

'What? That makes no sense. At least give me a reason. You can't just appear after weeks and tell me what to do.'

Carmilla glanced at the unstable wooden boards for a moment before stepping onto them. She stepped uneasily towards Laura. 

'Cupcake. There are some things in this world that you will never understand. This is one of those things.' Carmilla felt her face tense into a sneer. 'Now get away from this lake.'

A voice called out from in the water.

'Excuse me but who are you?'

Carmilla paused and looked to her side. She hadn't noticed Danny treading water alongside the pontoon. It must have been her who had jumped in, Laura was still dry.

The tall girl swam to the edge of the boarding and in one smooth motion hoisted herself up. She stepped between Laura and Carmilla. 

'Get out of the way' Carmilla spat. 'This really doesn't concern you.'

'Um I think this does. Laura's my g... Laura is important to me, I won't let you hurt her.'

Carmilla had had enough. This all had to stop. Now. She stepped forwards and grabbed Danny by the neck.

'Not to ruin your big heroic entrance Xena, but she’s not the one in trouble.'

Danny's hands clawed against Carmilla's arm. Carmilla could feel the pressure building up in the neck beneath her grip. 

Water was streaming from the edges of Danny's eyes. It wouldn't take much to finish her off. Carmilla smirked. Something powerful was taking her over from inside. This felt good. Suddenly the dark water of the lake didn't seem to bother her anymore. Perhaps this was the way to heal herself.

Carmilla's head snapped to the side as someone grabbed her arm. She looked without recognition at Laura. The panicking girl was shouting at Carmilla. Her words sounded unclear, like sounds found deep underwater. It took a moment for Carmilla to tune into what she was saying.

'...No, don’t! Please don’t! Carmilla! Look, We'll leave this lake and talk about what's wrong. Danny’s sorry right? Danny? Look, she’s nodding. That’s a nod.'

Carmilla slowly drifted back to reality. She stared blankly at the pathetic human she was crushing in her hand, and let go.

The girl collapsed to the floor, choking and breathing heavily.

Laura scowled at Carmilla, then knelt down next to Danny.

'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine. I was just scared for you.'

Carmilla laughed. Like that was true, the girl was terrified for her own life. She wouldn't have been breathing much longer if it weren't for Laura.

Laura stood up straight and faced Carmilla. It was amusing. Was the small girl attempting to look threatening?

'I wouldn't find this so funny if I were you. I get you have your issues, but seriously, what was that all about.'

'I bet you're dying to know that, aren't you buttercup? Well, I have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I’ll lose my air of mystery, won’t I? After all, that's what you like about me, Isn't it?'

Laura's face had turned a deep shade of crimson. Carmilla stepped in closer and picked up a strand of her hair. Frozen to the spot, only Laura's eyes moved as they took in the closeup of Carmilla's face.

Carmilla was unaware that Danny was pulling herself to her feet. The tall girl growled as she lunged towards Carmilla.

'Looks like you're letting your imagination run wild. Someone needs a cold dip.'

Carmilla felt a pair of hands shove her side sharply. There was no time to right herself before she hit the water with a crash.

The cold went straight to her core. Carmilla couldn't see. The black water surrounded her. All she knew was that she was sinking. A jolt traveled through Carmilla as she had her first flashback- her Maman's face as she closed the coffin lid. 

Carmilla's hands went to tear against the walls of the box in her desperation to get out. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as her hands swiped through clear water. 

That was right. She wasn't in a coffin. That was the past. This was only water. She could open her eyes. She could swim to the surface.

Shaking, Carmilla began to propel herself upwards. She opened her eyes a crack. Light streamed in, revealing the lake's surface. 

She blinked as she broke back up into the air. Slowly she began to breathe again, reassuring herself that this was the 21st century, the rest was in the past. The pontoon wasn't far to her side. Carmilla swam over and grabbed a hold of it.

She needed to get out of the water but she was shaking too badly. Her muscles refused to cooperate when she attempted pulling herself up onto the dry wooden boards.

Carmilla heard Danny snort with laugher.

'You're pathetic.'

Ignoring her, Carmilla continue to try and escape the water. A pair of hands grabbed her shoulder. Carmilla looked up. Laura's concerned eyes were staring down at her.

'She's a creep. Let her find her own way out the water' Danny asked.

'Seriously? Can't you see she's in trouble?'

Laura hauled Carmilla the rest of the way out of the cold.   
'Oh my god. She's gone so pale. Get her a towel.'

Carmilla was just about aware of Danny grumbling as she left the pontoon.

Laura held her soaked and shaking body. Carmilla could feel the warmth of Laura's energy traveling into her. It was so comforting. Suddenly she felt tired, as if she could just about find sleep there and then. 

In the least likely of places Carmilla found herself drifting off. This felt like the warmth of Emma's care for her. 

Carmilla forced herself awake. She couldn't put Laura in that position, she should never have allowed Emma to try and help. Nobody could fix Carmilla but herself.

Unsteadily she got to her feet. She had to leave. This was not Laura's battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the mystery unfolds. Perhaps soon we'll learn the secret held by the attic room.
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 16th OCTOBER.


	21. Chapter 21

Laura placed the book she was holding onto the shelf. She was overly aware of the large pile of returned books lying in the trolley to her side. They all needed to be but back in the correct positions, but despite having now worked at the library for several weeks, Laura was no closer to working out its complicated organisational system.

It felt like it took forever to find the shelf where each book belonged. Laura walked back to the cart and picked up the next one. 

'2467.63'

Laura looked at the shelf. The numbers were in the early 2400's, hopefully it wouldn't be that far. 

Apparently it was the head librarian who had designed the classification system. Laura felt rude explaining to her that it just didn't work.

After about ten minutes of searching, Laura gave up. She quickly glanced over both shoulders before putting the book back in a random position. Checking around her probably wasn't important, the library was completely empty.

Laura moved onto the next book but she was pretty sure she wouldn't have any better luck. Holding the book in her hand she wandered aimlessly through the shelves. A vast part of the library was underground. 

The archetecture seemed ancient. Laura started her days by lighting the candles in the basement so that she would be able to see where she was going. It seemed ridiculous to put flames in such close proximity to so much paper, but that's what the librarian had instructed.

The book in her hand was some leather bound volume of philosophy. It reminded Laura of Carmilla. Her thoughts were drawn back to the events at the lake. She hadn't seen Carmilla since. That must have been almost two weeks ago now.

It had frightened Laura how weak Carmilla had been when she pulled her up out of the water. The girl's body was convulsing slightly and shivered uncontrollably. Laura was reminded of the way Carmilla had looked when she was having her nightmare. 

Danny had taken far too long getting a towel to dry her. At one point Carmilla seemed to be losing conciousness. Laura was on the verge of calling for an ambulance, but then Carmilla stood up. 

Laura couldn't forget the way that she looked at her. There was panic in her eyes. Pure crazed terror.

'The path out of darkness can only ever be a solitary journey,' she had mumbled, before turning and quickly making her way off the pontoon. Laura watched as the soaking wet figure disappeared into the undergrowth. 

She had a feeling that Carmilla didn't want her to follow, but she had got up anyway. As soon as she reached the edge of the woodland Danny had jogged over to her.

'Laura, what are you doing?' 

'Going after Carmilla. Did you see the state she was in?'

'Im sure she can look after herself. Who even is she? An ex or something?'

'What? No, she's the one that saved me from the fire. She's one of the good guys, really. She's even let me stay in her house since mine is... well, burnt.'

'Wait, you're living with her? I'm guessing that's the reason you haven't let me see where you've been staying. Also, you said you were nowhere near the fire.'

'No I didn't'

'Laura, why is all of this one big secret? Why couldn't you just have told me you were forced to live with a psychopath? You know my door is always open.'

'She is not a psychopath, and maybe if you hadn't been so quick to attack her, you would have seen that.'

'Laura, she grabbed me by the throat!'

'And she let go. There's obviously something about this lake that she's terrified of. Throwing her in the water was the worst thing you could have done, and then you laughed at it.'

'She deserved it. She was going to hurt you.'

'And it's your job to keep me safe?'

'Yes!'

'What?'

'Laura, I care about you. Of course it's my job to keep you safe.'

At that Laura had turned and walked away, leaving Danny standing on the water's edge.

So far she'd been avoiding thinking about that particular confrontation. Laura didn't know what it meant. She hadn't seen Danny since. Hopefully this was just temporary and they would still be friends.

Thinking about this stuff was no good. Laura picked up a random book. Reading something would be better for her than thinking about the past. 

She found a cosy armchair in one of the corners. The leather creaked as she settled her weight into it. 

Laura opened the first page. New Atlantis by Francis Bacon. 

Her eyes moved across the paragraphs, but they weren't taking in a word. Where was Carmilla right now? Was she okay? Where did she always disappear off to? Laura hoped she wasn't sleeping rough, but doubted that she owned two houses.

In an unfortunate coincidence, Mica had disappeared the same day. She often went out into the woods, but she usually came back by evening. Laura was constantly on edge, listening for her return. Going out into the forest and calling for her hadn't helped. Laura's first instinct was to call the authorities but they would send a dangerous animal response team. She needed a search and rescue party.

There was little Laura could do but wait for Carmilla and Mica to return. It wasn't like she knew where she could go find either of them. The house became creepy when she was there alone. That was one of the reasons Laura was in the library, it was a Saturday, she didn't have to work.

As such Laura didn't feel quite so bad about leaving that work to relax and read a novel. She tried to concentrate her mind back onto the storyline. A set of sailors had just moored next to new land. Natives were rowing out from the shore to greet them.

As Laura imagined the rippling water and warm tropical sun, her head began to droop. Perhaps the last weeks had tired her out more than she'd thought. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep.

Her dream at first contained no images. She could hear humming. A tune unknown but familiar, as something that was once known but long forgotten. Laura was enveloped in warmth. She could feel arms wrapped around her, which rocked in time to the melody.

Laura tried to open her eyes to see the woman holding her, but she couldn't. It was as if she were a passenger in her dream, unable to affect her own movements. A door slammed and the tune ended abruptly. 

Laura felt herself be lowered and put down. Her eyes flickered open finally. She was sitting in the middle of a bed, with a stuffed animal to her side. Laura felt tiny compared to the size of the room. 

The woman who had been holding her had turned away so that Laura couldn't see her face. She was talking to a a figure standing in the doorway, masked by shadow. Laura couldn't understand what they were saying, but the voices sounded agitated. 

The figure stepped forwards out of the darkness and Laura saw that it was Carmilla. Laura had never seen her look that angry, she was livid. Her wild dark hair was a mess. Her lip must have been bleeding, there was blood rolling down her chin.

She snarled and took another step forwards. Laura didn't know what was happening. The woman held her arms out protectively, barring Carmilla from Laura. 

The next thing she said Laura understood.

'Not here, not in front of my child.'

Carmilla laughed in reply and stepped forwards. The next thing that happened reassured Laura that it was a dream. The edges of Carmilla's shape began to twist and dissolve. It was as if she were slowly pulsing outwards into mist.

Then the black dust began to swirl angrily and explosively contracted into a new shape.

In the center of the room stood a panther. It looked like Mica, but Laura couldn't quite tell. She'd never seen Mica acting so aggressively. The panther's lip curled upwards in a snarl. It slowly padded forwards. 

The woman began to speak slowly, as if trying to convince the panther not to attack. Laura didn't know what good that would do. Wild animals can't understand logic. 

She was aware that she had started crying loudly. Her body turned away from the fighting. Laura wanted to turn back and see what was happening, but couldn't interfere with her own actions. 

Behind her she could hear screaming. She could feel herself rock as she hugged into the cuddly toy. She stared at the blue wallpaper, trying helplessly to lose herself in its intricate patterns and swirls. 

A ripple shook her. Laura felt like she was underwater. She could hear someone speaking to her from above the surface. She floated upwards, leaving the dream behind. 

-

 

Laura opened her eyes groggily to see Carmilla staring down at her.

'Sleeping on the job. Very professional.'

It took a moment to orient herself. 

'Wha...'

'I thought I'd come check on your hard work. I see the library would be lost without you.'

'You were in my dream.'

'Oh my. What was I doing?'

Carmilla smirked and stepped closer to Laura. Laura ignored her advances, still wrapped up in remembering the details of a dream that was quickly slipping away from her.'

'You were shouting. Then you turned into a black cat. There was another person there, I don't know who she was though.'

Laura suspected that the figure was her mother. The whole dream felt so real she could have been sure that it was almost a memory, except for the fact that none of it made sense. Carmilla would have been a child back then, and she certainly couldn't change into a panther.

Carmilla looked perplexed for a second, before shrugging her shoulders.

'Dreams are weird cutie, best just to ignore them.'

Laura nodded.

'I haven't seen you since the lake. Are you okay?'

Laura could see her visibly freeze up.

'I'm fine.' Carmilla blinked heavily then looked to the side. 'I see you have a lot of books to put away, need some help?'

Laura jogged at the side of Carmilla to keep up as she marched over to the book trolley.

'That'd be great, but I don't expect you can. See there's a really complicated organisational system. It takes weeks to learn. I doubt you'd be able to find where they go.'

Carmilla ignored her, picking up the first book on the pile and studying its spine.

'Magna Moralia.' She muttered to herself. 'That's ethical philosophy, which will be section BJ.'

Carmilla looked upwards at the letters carved onto the end of the bookshelf. 

'This is the wrong area. Philosophy is down in the basement.' 

Carmilla picked up an armful of books from the pile before heading downstairs. 

Laura followed her silently through the avenues of books. The row that they turned into had BJ marked clearly on the side. Laura hadn't even noticed the letters before.

Carmilla followed the numbers on the spines down the shelf until finding the right gap and inserting the book.

Without even turning around Carmilla spoke.

'I'm guessing by that jaw dropped expression that you hadn't yet worked out the classification system.'

She faced Laura.

'You see when the Head Librarian designed this system she didn't bother writing the class section names on the books. She assumed that most people would be clever enough to work out the topic area without needing it written on the side. There's a catalogue by the main desk if you don't know the categories and corresponding letters. Once you're in the right section, they're in number order and you just follow the numbers on the side.'

She held out another book to Laura.

'Find this one.'

Laura, still slightly dumbstruck by the sudden appearance of the previously missing girl, picked it up and stared at the title.

'Um... Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. It's by Ludwig Wittgenstein.' Laura looked up at Carmilla blankly. She had no idea what section that'd be. Carmilla sighed.

'Philosophical logic. As the name suggests. You want BC.'

Laura nodded enthusiastically. It didn't take long to find where the book went. 

'How do you know your way around so well?'

'Been around a long while kiddie. Time's the best teacher.'

Laura wanted to ask Carmilla why she had come. Why now? She decided not to incase the girl disappeared again. 

'You really should stop wearing my things, you know.' Carmilla began. 'They really aren't your style. The other rooms are full of clothes. You can take anything. Most of it's really old, but I'm sure you'll find something that suits.'

Laura nodded. 'Thanks.' 

If she was honest Laura quite liked wearing Carmilla's clothes. She'd probably have to find something else though, she didn't want to annoy Carmilla by keeping her things.

Carmilla looked at the next book she was holding.

'PQ.' Laura followed Carmilla as she tracked down the location. Her finger brushed along the books' spines as she walked along the row. 

'PQ .1656, 1660s, 70s, 80s. Ah, here we are. 1698. Good year.' Carmilla placed the book on the shelf with a smile.

'You say that like you were there.'

'I was.'

Laura tried stifling her laughter. 'Shut up. No one was alive back then.'

'I think you'll find that a lot of people were alive back then, it's just a lot of them aren't anymore.'

'You know what I meant.' 

Carmilla had a playful look in her eye. She shrugged.

'Come on. We have a lot of work to do if you're ever going to leave.'

Carmilla picked up a book and pretended to peruse its contents.

'Leave?'

'Yes sweetcheeks, leave. It's what people tend to do after they finish their jobs.'

Carmilla glanced at her from over the top of the book. There was an intensity in her dark eyes. Laura blushed and looked away.

'I know that. I was just wondering why it's so important that I leave early today?'

'Does there have to be a reason? Life is chaos. Stop trying to look for connections.'

'See that's where you're wrong. Everything has a reason. Absolutely nothing happens without something else causing it.'

'Ah yes, cause and effect. The hard determinism of Locke. Well it's this boring conversation that's causing me to walk away.'

Carmilla spun on her heel and disappeared around the corner.

Laura frowned at the ceiling. Angry and brooding Carmilla was difficult to deal with, but this more mischievous Carmilla was on another level.

'Wait up.' Laura yelled out, running after her.

Laura jogged past the aisles, but couldn't see Carmilla down any of them. She ran around corners and through valleys of books. It was like being caught in a labyrinth. The further Laura ran into the basement, the more certain she became that she had no idea how to retrace her steps.

'Carmilla?' Laura called out. 

She heard chuckling.

'Seriously... Where are you?'

Laura turned in a circle, trying to work out which direction the sound was coming from.

'DB. 5391 .86'

A smile rose to Laura's face. She would sneak around the side and jump out on her. Laura traced around until she found the row labeled DB. She peered around the corner into the aisle. It was empty.

She frowned. Wandering down the row, she followed the numbers until she reached book 5391 .86.

Laura slid the book off the shelf. She looked at the title. Myths and Monsters: The empoisonment of the Austrian nobility, by Aldegund Von Vordenburg. Laura looked back up and called out:

'That's not fair. You're not where you said you'd be, that's cheating.'

A hand slid onto her shoulder.

'But this isn't a game.' 

Laura dropped the book. Carmilla was standing right behind her. 

'See, the truth is that you were right.' Carmilla stated. 'There is a cause for me being here and wanting you to leave early.'

Carmilla placed a hand on Laura's waist. She felt the hand on her shoulder move to brush her hair from her ear. Laura felt herself freeze. Her heart began to beat on overdrive.

Laura could feel Carmilla's lips move close to her ear. A chill passed through her body as Carmilla whispered. 

'Meet me in the ballroom at eight. Wear something you can waltz in.'

Carmilla's well placed hands spun Laura to face her. Laura found herself in a perfect closed waltzing position. Laura's eyes traveled up to meet Carmilla's. It took a second for her brain to catch up with how she had gotten there.

Carmilla released Laura and leant back against the bookshelf.

Laura wasn't prepared for how much she wanted to remain in Carmilla's arms. She sidled back to the opposite bookshelf and akwardly leant against it. Ballroom dancing. Carmilla might as well have been born in the 17th century.

'So... waltzing is what you kids did for kicks back in 1698?' 

Carmilla nodded. 'It had a frisson scandal back then.'

Laura chuckled. 

'I'll be there.'

This could be a chance to discover more about her mysterious host. Perhaps Laura would be able to lure Carmilla into a position where she would let something slip. There were so many things she still needed to know. Perhaps she could trick Carmilla into showing her the attic room.

'Since I live in your house, it makes sense that we should get to know each other. After we dance we can go up to the tower and look at the stars.'

'I think I might like that very much.'

Carmilla was staring deeply into Laura's eyes. Laura barely noticed, her mind frantically whizzing over the possibilities of how to finally solve the mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks since the Carmilla season two finale, hope you're all looking forwards to season zero :)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 30th OCTOBER.


	22. Chapter 22

It was raining softly as Laura left the library. The misty droplets swirled through the hazy afternoon air.

Carmilla hadn't lingered long. Laura had been left wondering whether the girl really had appeared or whether she'd imagined it.

Laura tried to piece together the puzzle. Carmilla had been missing since the incident at the lake. Even before that her presence had been patchy. She must have been staying away for a reason, why was she suddenly back, and presumably wanting to talk? 

The rain wasn't bad, but Laura was annoyed that she hadn't packed an umbrella. By the time she reached Karnverloren she'd be soaked through. Still, the warmth of a hot shower and some cocoa would solve that in no time.

Laura wiped the droplets off her watch before reading the time. Ten past six. That would give her just about enough time to get back and ready.

But ready for what? Laura still wasn't sure. It was a bizarre suggestion, waltzing. Not exactly something she'd ever done before. Or even knew how to do for that matter. Laura panicked. What if she messed up and trod on Carmilla's toes?

But perhaps Carmilla hadn't literally meant waltzing. Laura couldn't help but think that the invitation was masking some other motive. 

Laura took a deep breath. She needed to take a step away from her inquisitive side. Her father had always told her that it would get in the way of seeing others clearly. Carmilla was not just a mystery to solve, she was a human being. 

For the rest of the way back Laura put all questions out of her head. With any luck all her questions would be answered tonight. 

Laura called Mica's name as she stepped into the threshold. No life stirred in the old house. She still held hope that the panther would return, but it had been two weeks. In that time who know how far Mica could have traveled. Laura expected that she would be lurking somewhere in the woods, but it was possible she wasn't even in the country anymore.

Shoving her wet clothes on the floor, Laura got into the shower. As she rubbed the shampoo through her hair she considered the events from the lake again. 

Something must have happened there to make Carmilla so afraid. She wondered whether it was connected to that time she'd come home soaking wet. Carmilla had said that she'd been swimming in the lake and some guy had stolen her clothes. 

But what if it was more than that? Oh god, Laura thought. What if Carmilla had been a victim of a physical attack there? It would explain the lack of clothes and terrified expression on her face when she returned. Suddenly Laura felt awful. If she was right then it was no surprise that Carmilla should have been touchy about girls swimming in the lake.

Laura realised that she could be wrong, but it made the most sense with the facts that she had. She wouldn't push Carmilla for an answer about why she had been so afraid. Carmilla had been completely broken by the time she was pulled out of the water. 

Laura clenched her fists, she'd kill Danny the next time she saw her.

She didn't feel like standing under the water of the shower anymore. Laura turned off the tap and wrapped up in a towel.

She'd have to find something to wear this evening. Carmilla had said to find something that she could dance in. That probably meant a dress. Somewhere in one of the hundreds of wardrobes scattered across the house there had to be something that would work.

Laura maintained that hope at first, but it rapidly deteriorated as she actually looked through the closets. A vast proportion of the clothes that the house held were falling apart. Some were so old that the lace pretty much turned to dust as she tried to touch it.

Of the clothes that weren't moth eaten, rotting or decaying there were few that seemed suitable. Surprisingly a lot were women's clothes in her size, but none were appropriate styles. 

Laura knew that Carmilla said to dress for a dance, but she thought a hooped ball gown might be a little much. She probably wouldn't be able to get into it without at least three servants helping either.

Laura was aware of time ticking on. If she didn't find anything soon then she would have nothing to wear. Even going back to Carmilla's wardrobe and seeing if there was anything resembling a dress was beginning to seem like a good plan. It'd probably be black and gothic, but surely it'd be better than going in jeans.

The hallways were beginning to grow dim. Soon there would be no light left to be able to look through the clothes. The house had no sign of ever having had electricity, and Laura hadn't been able to find any candles yet. It had been fine so far, she'd read by the fire of an evening and learnt the way up to her bed through the darkness.

Laura continued on through the maze of halls, looking for a room which she hadn't checked yet. She was almost giving up when one door in particular caught her attention.

The wood was a warmer tone than the others, still dark wood, but of a redder variety. How had she not noticed this room before? The door wasn't locked. She opened it and went inside. 

The interior looked much the same as all of the other bedrooms in Karnverloren. Somehow it felt different though. Laura couldn't quite place her finger on it. She felt as if she was forgetting something, as if the reason she knew this room was obvious, and she'd remember if only she thought hard enough.

There was a square patch of cleaner wallpaper where some painting had been taken down. A vase lay smashed by the window. Dead flowers lay around it. The stems lay twisted and broken. Laura picked up a petal and it fell apart in her hand. The vase had obviously been knocked a long time ago.

There were two wardrobes on opposite sides of the room. The first one Laura opened only contained men's clothes. She crossed her fingers as she walked over to the other. 

It seemed she was in luck. The clothes in this wardrobe almost seemed as new as the ones in Carmilla's. There was about ten years worth of dust covering them, but apart from that they seemed to be in good condition.

Laura perused the hangers. Her heart filled with happiness. These seemed like they would probably not only fit her, but actually look good too. The dresses were in simple, but pretty styles. Laura was also relieved that none of them seemed to submit to the gothic colour schemes that were held by most of the house's other clothes.

A few of them had dust covers on. Laura decided to try those on first. She dropped the three dresses onto the bed and undressed. One was a light oche, the next cream, and then pastel green.   
Laura selected the cream one to put on first. She could hardly believe when it fitted her absolutely perfectly.

There was a mirror in the corner which she wiped the dust from in order to see her reflection. She stood back. Without a shadow of a doubt in her mind she decided not even to bother trying the other two on.

This dress was stunning. It fell just to her knee. The way the material fell shaped Laura's figure perfectly, it was as if it had been designed especially for her. 

Laura imagined Carmilla's eyes light up as she saw her wearing it. She didn't know why, but she wanted Carmilla to see her look beautiful for once. Carmilla always looked so stunning, even when she wasn't wearing anything very impressive.

It was as if the girl was beautiful without even trying. Her wild hair had the appearance that it could never be tamed, but it always looked just right. Her dark eyes perfectly matched her shadowy soul. 

Even through her foul moods and melancholy, Laura was certain that Carmilla cared. It had been proved through her unrelenting kindness to Laura through saving her from the fire and giving her a home. She tried to hide that she was a good person, and Laura wanted to know why.

There was still just enough light for Laura to make out the hands on her watch. It was almost eight. With a start, Laura realised she no longer had time to find shoes. She'd have to go barefoot. Hopefully that'd be okay. 

Leaving the other two dresses lying on the bed Laura ran out of the room. Her bare feet thudded on on the floor as she travelled along the passageways. 

Corridor after corridor, down a set of stairs and she was there. Large windows stood either side of the ballroom, casting the last echoes of evening light across the wide empty floor.

Laura made her way to its center. The marble flooring felt cold and smooth against her feet. Laura rubbed her arms and then crossed them. Goosebumps had appeared on her skin. She looked to see if a window was open, but it was probably only the size of the room which left her feeling so exposed.

Laura looked expectantly at the wide steps that led down from the entranceway. They were, as yet, empty. From the ceiling hung a large chandelier. Dust and cobwebs draped down from it as if time itself had decided to decorate what had been abandoned for so long.

The ceiling was barely visible anymore. The chandelier appeared to be the only thing in the room that would have provided light. It must have taken an army of servants on ladders to bring a match to each individual candle.

In the distance Laura could hear the chime of a bell. It went eight times. A chill went up Laura's back. She'd never heard that here before. It sounded like it came from the town, but she knew that anything there that could have produced it was gone.

The hall was now in complete darkness. Laura began to doubt that Carmilla was coming. Maybe this was some cruel trick as payback for what had happened at the lake. Laura felt uncomfortable suddenly in the cream dress. Was Carmilla lurking somewhere in the shadows, laughing at Laura for making an effort since she never had to herself?

No. Laura had to believe that Carmilla was better than that. She had little idea what Carmilla's intentions were, but she was sure they weren't cruel.

Laura wished she had brought some candles with her. She could no longer make out anything but the silhouette of the window frame. Laura stood still, focusing on her sense of hearing rather than relying on vision.

The wind was rusting past some trees outside. There was silence. Then there was footsteps, barely discernible at first, but getting closer. They were swift, certain. Laura was sure it was Carmilla.

The steps slowed, almost to a stop just before the door. Laura thought, for barely a moment, that Carmilla was turning around and had decided against coming. But then they started again and marched into the great hall.

Laura couldn't see her, but she could feel her stoping at the top of the stairs, looking about the room.

'Laura?' Carmilla called out. 

There was an edge of uncertainty in her voice. Laura realised that since the room wasn't lit up, Carmilla probably thought that she hadn't come.

'I'm here' Laura replied. She waved her arm, though afterwards she realised that Carmilla wouldn't have been able to see it.

'I love low lighting, but don't you think that this is a little extreme?'

Laura chuckled. 'I couldn't find any candles and the chandelier is a little too high for me to reach'

'Should've asked the BFG to help you with that one.'

Laura couldn't see Carmilla's face, but she took from the tone in her voice that the quip about Danny wasn't too bitter.

'Wait a second' Carmilla called. 'I have something that might help.'

Laura heard her steps recede back out into the corridor, then return the ballroom.

'Here.' 

Laura heard a match being struck and saw a pinprick of light. It moved then grew slightly. Laura heard the match being blown out.

There was a scrape of metal as Carmilla picked up the candlestick holder. In the small light of the flame Laura could see Carmilla's darkly lit face.

Laura began to step towards Carmilla, but it was too dark to see the ground infront. She knew that the dance floor had no obstacles, but she still held her arms out before herself.

'Where are you?' Carmilla asked.

'I'm over here, it's a bit difficult to move in this darkness.'

'Wait there a second. I have the candle, it makes sense that I come to you.'

Carmilla stared out blindly into the hall. Laura found it funny how she could see Carmilla, but the girl couldn't see her.

'You're gonna have to make a noise or something creampuff, so I can tell where you are.'

'Okay. Polo.'

'Really? We're playing that child's game?' Laura saw Carmilla's facial muscles contract into a grin. 'Fine. Marco.'

'Polo' 

Carmilla turned to the voice and began walking. Now she was coming closer Laura could see more of what she was wearing.

Laura had few words to describe it. From what she could see in the half light, the dress was constructed from a midnight green lace. The bottom edge looked torn, but on purpose. Carmilla was breathtaking when she made no effort, Carmilla plus effort was on a whole other level.

Laura barely managed to pull herself back into the game.

'You haven't said Marco again'

'That's because I know where you are now.'

Laura knew that the darkness would still be hiding her from sight, but Carmilla walked confidently in her direction.

'It's a shame there's clouds tonight. I should have liked to have seen the stars with you.'

Soon the light of the candle would reach Laura. Would they dance? Would Carmilla appreciate her dress? Why were they here? Laura had thought for a moment that Carmilla could be attracted to her. She shook that out of her head. There had to be another reason for all this.

Carmilla grew closer and closer. Now Laura could even see the flickering flame reflected in her black eyes. 

Carmilla's gaze was locked in Laura's. It was too intense, Laura looked down. Feeling awkward she curtsied.

'How do you do, Countess Karnstein' Laura said.

Carmilla did not move. She stared across at Laura, candle in her hand. There was no colour in her face. It was ashen white. Laura hesitated. Something was wrong. Why did she look like that? Why was she stood still like a dummy, like a person caught in a trance?

'What the hell do you think you are doing?' She asked. Her eyes blazed in anger. Her face was still ashen white.

Laura stood, stock still. She didn't understand.

'What is it? What have I done?'

When Carmilla spoke again Laura did not recognise her voice. It was still and quiet. Icy cold. Not a voice she knew.

'How could you wear that dress?'

Carmilla stumbled backwards. Her lip was quivering in a curl of disgust. 

Laura didn't move, couldn't move. She didn't know what was going on. It was as if she was stuck in some hideous nightmare.

'I'm sorry. I thought I could pick out anything. This is what suited best.'

Carmilla tilted her head back and laughed. A deep, guttural laugh.

'Of course. Every dress in the house and you chose that one.'

Her head snapped downwards. Laura had never seen her look so angry. 

'Take her dress off.' 

Laura looked up at Carmilla with fear in her eyes. Whose dress was she wearing? What was this trap that she had unwittingly fallen into?

Carmilla shook her head repetitively. 

'I thought you could be unthinking, but I never thought you could be cruel. I can't do this. I'm sorry.'

Turning on her heel Carmilla walked steadily away. Laura watched, still stationary, as the light grew further and dimmer.

She could hear Carmilla's slow walk dissolve into a run as soon as she got out of the ballroom. There was a clatter of footsteps up a stairwell then nothing. Laura was left in the silence and the dark.

Laura knew she was not to follow. Whatever she had done, she had messed up. Big time. It wasn't intentional, but Laura still felt guilty. Carmilla was hurting, badly, and it was her fault. How could she ever forgive herself for that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment on what you think's going on. Next update we are going to get some answers, let's see if anyone gets it right ;)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 13th NOVEMBER.


	23. Chapter 23

The silence reverberated around the ballroom. Laura felt trapped within a void. She couldn't see the chandelier floating above her, nor hear the rustle of the trees outside the window as they were pulled by the wind.

She felt the heavy weight of guilt resting on her heart. A guilt that she didn't understand. All she knew was that she'd hurt Carm. That thought echoed and repeated itself over and over in her head. There had to be a way to make amends. Where was Carmilla? Would she react badly if Laura went to her?

Tentatively Laura took steps forwards. She slid her feet along the floor since there was no way of seeing her path. Eventually she reached the edge of the steps. She had to hold her hands to the ground to ascertain where the steps were as she ascended them. 

Out in the hall, her feet collided with an unseen object. It made a metallic grating noise against the stone flagged floor. Laura crouched down and put a hand to it. Cold metal and still warm wax revealed it to be the candle that Carmilla had been carrying. She must have left it in her despair. 

Laura found the front room. The fire was still on, but it didn't feel right to sit by its light whilst Carmilla wandered in darkness. She made her way to the upstairs. She'd put the dress back where she'd found it.

Small amounts of moonlight drifted through the windows and into the corridors of this side of the house. It wasn't much, but enough to see where she was going. 

It was worrying that she couldn't hear anything. She wanted Carmilla to come. She wanted her anger to shatter the silence. The idea that she was quiet and alone broke Laura's heart.

But the house remained still. It felt as if time had been frozen. This wasn't the twenty first century, Laura felt as if she was taking steps into and through some unknown past. 

Laura had trouble recalling exactly where the room with the dresses had been. She made her way eastward in the hope that it'd become clear. 

By instinct her head turned left at the end of the corridor, towards the locked door. 

Except this time, the door was not locked.

The door wasn't even closed. 

Laura froze halfway through a step. She placed her foot uncertainly down, and turned to face the door. She could see a spiral staircase leading upwards. Light filtered down from above into the dark corridor.

Laura knew that this had been where Carmilla had run to. Her eyes remained fixated on the doorway. Now it was open she felt reluctant to step inside. Perhaps she'd find her answers, but at what price, and who would pay it, her or Carmilla? 

Carmilla would be inside. They could talk. Laura wouldn't seek to find answers, but to mend the wound she'd inflicted. 

Her mind was set. Laura began marching down the hall, her pace quickening and quickening as she reached the door. At the steps she pulled herself to a halt. It wasn't clear what state Carmilla was in, and whether she'd appreciate her presence. Barging in probably wasn't the best plan.

Laura listened carefully for movement. Nothing. Looking up towards the light, she began to ascend. 

She held her hands out either side to steady herself against the stone as she began winding upwards. From since before she could remember, Laura had disliked spiral staircases. They made her dizzy. Something about them always felt insecure, which wasn't helped by the fact that they rarely had banisters.

The light was getting brighter. It was too dark to see much, but the steps were clear enough. Laura was just begining to wonder how long the staircase was, when she rounded the bend and was in the room. 

The first thing that hit her was the wallpaper. Blue swirls. It hung in ribbons torn from the plaster. The lamp on the table flickered. She put her hand to the pattern. A memory crashed into her mind. Loud thuds and shouting. 

At once Laura remembered her dream. A warm smile singing lullabys. Loving arms holding her, then leaving her on the cold mattress. The wallpaper infront of her. The screams behind. The wallpaper infront of her.

Laura felt sick. How could she have dreamed about a place that she'd never been before? 

A child sized bed lay at the opposite side of the room. She could see her infantile self curled up in its corner. There was a bare patch on in the wall behind. Her hand shook as she traced the claw marks dug deep into the plaster. 

Her Dad had always refused to talk about the past. Laura stepped back from the wall, repulsed. 

She felt cold, but sweat rolled down her forehead. 

Was this where her mother had died?

Laura's head spun. She placed her hands on her knees to try and steady herself. 

What had happened? The claw marks down the wall suggested an animal attack, but there had been voices shouting. Hadn't someone walked into the room? A woman. An angry woman with wild black hair. Had it been Carmilla? No, that made no sense. 

A piece of paper caught her eye. It lay next to the lamp. As she moved closer she saw it was a photograph. Laura didn't want to pick it up, sickened by the idea of what it might contain.

The paper felt brittle between her fingers. Laura breathed in deeply, before slowly opening her eyes.

On the right of the image rose the marble steps up to Karnverloren. The house loomed in the upper left hand corner. Stood on the steps were three people. 

The first was a man. He was crouched down, holding the shoulders of a small child. 

As Laura focused on the face, she could make out that it was her father. She's never seen him look so happy. The untidy hair that fell over his face was not yet grey. His forehead was unmarked by lines. He had the eyes of a man who didn't know that his wife was soon to die.

Laura knew that the child must have been herself, but she couldn't remember being there. She was staring up at the woman who stood to her side. That woman was smiling down at her and pointing towards the camera. 

Laura didn't recognise the woman, but there was something familiar about the shape of her face and eyes. She hadn't seen a photograph of her mother before. It didn't matter. Laura was certain that it was her.

That was her family. All together. All happy. 

With eyes blurring from tears, Laura's gaze drifted onto the third face.

And right there, looking directly at the camera, was Carmilla.

A flood of cold rushed through Laura's body. Her fingertips felt numb. It felt like time had frozen, but Laura knew that her mind was working faster than ever.

The pieces clicked into place. Carmilla. The claw marks on the wall. Her dream. Mica. The photograph. 

That was why Carmilla had kept her from coming up here. She had been afraid that Laura would find out who she was. What she'd done.

What was she?

Immortal and shapeshifter. A monster. She and her mother had been friends, and Carmilla had murdered her. Laura recoiled, what if she was next?

Her eyes bulged with fear. On high alert, Laura quickly scaned the room to check she was alone. Shadows flickered in the lamplight. The torn wallpaper hung like rags off the walls. Past screams echoed in her head.

Laura wrapped her hands around her chest. Her arms brushed the material of her dress. 

She looked down at it in horror. Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. 

The dress fitting perfectly. Carmilla's reaction to her wearing it. Carmilla running to this room.

Had her mother died in this dress? 

The demon had murdered Laura's happiness, and she had been in the room, rocking and staring at the wallpaper as it happened.

The material felt like it was burning into her skin. 

 

ههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههه

 

Outside in the woods, Carmilla stalked through the undergrowth.

She was still mad at Laura, but the night air was bringing her back to her senses. Laura hadn't chosen that dress on purpose. It was an unfortunate mistake, but a mistake nevertheless. 

The liquid heat of her anger was stiffening into the hard chill of sadness.

She shouldn't have snapped at Laura like that. Now the girl would be even more curious. Carmilla didn't want that. The past would only hurt Laura. It would be best if she never found out.

History was a heavy burden. Carmilla knew that. Humans had enough difficulty carrying their short span of years upon their backs. If only they could feel for a minute the weight of the years Carmilla held.

One day Laura would be a part of that burden. She would pass into history, and Carmilla would look on back, saddened. 

Explaining her anger would be difficult. Laura wouldn't understand. Carmilla had hoped that this evening would create a fresh start. It had been her plan to actually talk for once. 

Maybe there'd be another chance in the future to let Laura know that she and Mica were one. A little time would have to pass first. For the moment there was too much danger of Laura connecting all of the dots. Eventually she'd be able to drop this double act. 

The forest was doing good for her senses. An earlier rainfall left the smell of earth and leafy undergrowth hanging in the air. Carmilla turned to look back towards Karnverloren.

Light shone from the small room in the east tower. Carmilla cursed. In her passion she must have forgotten to blow out the lamp. 

She was tempted to leave it on. That room brought back too many emotions. It wasn't an option though. Once before she'd left some candles lit in her room and the bedsheets caught flame. Her Maman had almost killed her when Karnverloren castle burnt down.

Reluctantly, Carmilla began walking back towards the house. She scowled up at the window. The light blinked. Drawing to a halt Carmilla looked more carefully up at the room.

Another waver in the light. A shadow. Carmilla's eyes widened as she began running.

There was only one person who could be in that room. 

The darkness couldn't hold her back. In no time she was running the circles up to Laura.

It took a moment for Carmilla to work out what Laura was doing. She whirled in circles, tearing at her dress. Red marred the cream material where Laura's fingertips had been cut with the force.

Carmilla ran over, pulling the girl into her embrace, trying to stop her spinning.

With more force than Carmilla knew she had, Laura tossed her to the floor. 

Laura's eyes blazed as she looked down at Carmilla. 

'You.'

She took a step towards Carmilla. Carmilla used her hands to drag herself backwards along the floor.

'It wasn't me. I didn't kill Emma.'

Laura ignored her pleads, spitting out her words at Carmilla.

'Monster. You killed her. She was your friend. She trusted you.'

Carmilla felt an internal blow. It felt like the energy had been knocked out of her. She felt her back come up against the wall.

'Laura. Please. You're not making sense. How could it have been me?'

'The photograph. This room. You can't honestly believe I wouldn't remember. Actually I guess you knew I would, that's why you stopped me coming in here.'

'You have the wrong story. I thought it would hurt you to bring back the past.'

'No. No, what hurts me is the fact that you were pretending to be my friend. You did exactly what you did with my mother. Was I the next on your list? The one that got away the first time? Or were you waiting, just waiting, for me to come of age so you could play a game for your sick and twisted satisfaction?'

The edges of Carmilla's vision were beginning to go dark. It couldn't be possible, it felt like Laura was draining her energy.

'Laura I was angry. I admit it. I came close, but I could never have killed her.'

'Lies' Laura shouted, shaking with passion. 'You can't weave your way out of this. I can see the claw marks on the wall. I can remember the screams. I know you change into a panther.'

The image of Laura standing over her was beginning to go dark. Carmilla was labouring to breathe. Her sentences became punctuated by her gasps for air.

'Okay... we argued. But that's.... not when... she died.'

'Oh my God,' Laura laughed, 'what's wrong with you?'

'Laura. Please listen.'

'Please? No. I don't owe you anything. You are nothing to me.'

Carmilla felt her vision go black. She was slumped up against the wall. She couldn't move. A floorboard creaked as Laura stepped towards her.

'I need... energy. Otherwise... I'll die.'

'Die then.'

'I'm sorry. It could have... been me... but it wasn't. I was so... close... to doing it. But she died... months later, from... something... completely different. I guess... it doesn't.. matter. It could have... been me. I... I'm... so... sorry....'

Carmilla couldn't lift her hand. She couldn't see how Laura had reacted. She heard Laura turn and walk away.

It was silent for a while. Carmilla could hear her own wheezing breaths. Apart from that the room was completely silent. Occasionally the sound of a sob drifted across the room. It broke Carmilla's heart.

It might as well have been her. Carmilla had done her fair share of evil in the past. She deserved this anger. If her own death was what Laura needed to move on, so be it. Her mind slipped into the dark abyss. Love will have its sacrifices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more of the mystery is revealed. Poor Carm, she has a tough life. Congrats to the people in the comments who guessed that it was Emma's dress. 
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 27th November


	24. Chapter 24

The first thing that Carmilla was aware of was the familiar taste of iron on her teeth. She moved her tongue forwards. More of the warm liquid entered her mouth. Blood.

Carmilla didn't know where she was. Her head felt fuzzy. She had difficulty placing which decade she was in. She whimpered for more.

'You're awake.'

Laura's voice. Context rushed back. Carmilla tried to move forwards. Something stopped her. There was rope around her wrists. Tape around her chest stuck her firmly to the back of the chair. 

She could hear Laura step backwards. A blindfold prevented Carmilla from seeing anything. The blood tasted human.

'Where did you get that?'

'Doesn't matter. You can't get out by the way. I know what you are now.' 

Carmilla nodded. She didn't have the strength nor the will to struggle.

'I thought you were leaving me to die?'

'I still am. I just want some answers first. My Dad would never talk so unfortunately you seem to be my only option.'

Laura sounded repulsed by her own words. Her voice trembled. Despite the bonds she was probably still terrified that Carmilla would break loose.

'I guess I owe you at least that. Can we take off the blindfold though?'

'What?'

'The blindfold cupcake. I'd prefer see my audience.'

'I haven't given you a blindfold.'

The information refused to process. Carmilla shook her head.

'Of course you have. I can't see anything.'

'Your eyes went all dark and weird before you passed out. They're solid black.'

Laura was beginning to sound apologetic. Carmilla couldn't stand it. It meant she was telling the truth. 

'I need more blood'

Laura hesitated. 'Not until you talk.'

'You want the whole of it?'

'Everything'

'Alright then. Buckle up creampuff, we're gonna be in for a long night.'

Carmilla shifted in her seat.

'I was born Mircalla, daughter of… I'm sorry. This isn't about me. This is about Emma. Your mother. 

I could never have killed her. She was too important.

We met in astronomy class. I hated it. Taking the limitless sky and forcing it into a box of scientific understanding. I thought I'd enjoy it since I love looking at the stars so much. It was about three months into the course and I was giving up. 

It was raining the first day I spoke to her. My books were wet and the lecturer had split us up into groups to discuss the stars. I was always in a bad mood back then, but that day felt worse than usual. My group was full of obnoxious buffoons. Prize A Zetas. I decided to leave Silas. I was only there because I usually enjoy learning. It passes time when you live forever. 

I stood up to go but someone grabbed my hand. I turned back. It was the girl sitting next to me. I had been so wrapped up in my own anger that I hadn't even noticed her. I sat back down. I don't quite know how, but she made that seminar bearable. It was as if she understood what was going on inside of me. What I needed. She made silly little observations about the lecturer and poked holes in the arguments of the rest of the group. She didn't seem to know anyone either.

From then on, in each seminar or lecture, she’d seek out where I was and sit next to me. I didn't understand it. Usually people avoided me. I was grateful though. Suddenly I began to enjoy astronomy. At first through her whispered mocking of the lecturer’s inability to work power-point, and then through her passion for the subject itself.

I learnt her name when one day after a lecture she invited me back to her house. We could finally speak, uninhibited by the silence of the lecture hall. Her housemates had let her take the attic room. They knew how much her course meant to her. Books were scattered across the floor, and telescopes were directed out of windows.

At first I’d thought Emma was shy. She was like a shadow, I hadn't even noticed her during those first three months of the course. But there's no way she was shy.’ Carmilla chuckled, remembering fondly the girl who had introduced her to happiness. 

‘I felt so honored to know her. To be the one that she’d selected from countless people to share her time with. I don't think anyone else knew her. At least properly anyway. Your mother was a private woman. Always caring, always kind, but always preferring to listen to the story of the other person than reveal her own.

That first night in the attic we chatted for hours. It was only when the sun came up that we realised how lost we had been in conversation and laughter. From then on we spent more and more time together. 

I began to worry that she’d find out what I was. What if she didn't accept me for myself? I hadn't cared about people knowing before, but I suddenly had a friend who I didn't want to lose. It worried me that she’d think me repulsive. I stopped changing into Mica, and drank blood only when necessary.

I knew that at some point I'd face a choice. She’d notice me not aging eventually. I would either have to leave, or reveal the truth. It dragged me down for a while. When we were together, I felt the shadow of my identity hanging over me. It poisoned our conversations, put a dark filter on bright days.

I felt like I was lying to her. I feel like she knew anyway that there was something I wasn't saying. She wasn't stupid. I always switched topic if we spoke too much about me or my past.

Anyway, I decided to get it over and done with. She’d either have to accept me, or we’d have to part ways. The risk of my gamble terrified me. I remember getting very drunk the evening I told her. 

I'd arranged to meet by the lake. I was sitting on the pontoon that hangs out over the water as she came to me. She sat down by my side, and I told her the truth. 

I expected her to not believe me, to laugh, to scream, anything but what she did. She nodded slowly, put a hand on my knee and a head on my shoulder. I continued, telling her more about myself than I had told anyone before. At the end of my story she pulled me into her embrace. 

I sobbed. I don't know how she made me do that. History is history. It's gone, it can't hurt you. But she brought it back, and I cried for the times that I couldn't. God I sound like an emotional idiot. I guess it doesn't matter now anyway. Looks like I'll be gone by morning. No point lying now.

That night marked a change in our friendship. It was strengthened by the truth. We became inseparable. The only thing we argued about was the stars. I thought that studying them reduced their value, she thought it increased it. How much greater did the universe seem, she argued, when armed with a knowledge of how expansive it really is and the small details that somehow make it all work. 

When we both graduated with majors in astronomy I asked her to move in with me. I had been alone in Karnverloren for too long. She had nowhere to live. It made sense.

I gave her the attic room. She loved it. I set up the telescopes before she arrived so that she could study the stars all night. There was less light pollution than in the city. She was free to spend her time doing what she loved.

Those were good days. I'd bring her up food and stop and watch her, lost in a vision of the sky. She’d jump as I tapped her shoulder, and turn to smile at me with those beautiful brown eyes. Those days were ours, free to spend as we wished. I shared my inheritance with her, we could live comfortably together without ever having to work.

For the first time in my life I felt belonging. But it all changed. She met a guy. Your father. She spent more and more time away, travelling back to Silas to meet him. I got jealous, I was used to spending my days with her and suddenly I was alone. There wasn't much I could do about it. She was my friend after all, I wanted to see her happy.

I knew that it was serious. She didn't do flings, your mother. I don't think I’d even seen her form a romantic attachment to someone before. Rather than lose her to the city, I told her that he could move in too. 

If I’m honest, your father was a lovely guy. I understood right away why Emma had fallen for him. At the time he was a novelist. You probably know this though. His work was impressive. It sold. Karnverloren was the perfect space for him to escape from the world and develop his craft.

Science and Literature. The perfect combination. Within a few years Emma Armitage became Emma Hollis. They were happy, I think. They lived in perfect harmony with each other. They argued as all couples do, but there was always so much love there.

I watched their happiness grow as Emma brought you into the world. Their shining child. The completion of their happiness. I had seen for a long time that I was no longer needed.

Seeing them with you made me realise that they had everything. I accepted that I was now merely a smear on the side of Emma’s marital bliss. She was living a dream, but I no longer belonged to it. I left in the night, I didn't have bags to pack.

What happened to me is unimportant. I don't know what happened to Emma in the interim years. I wish I could tell you, but I just don't know. I didn't check in to see how she was doing, it would have hurt too much.

To keep it short, as things in Emma’s life got better, things in mine got worse. I had to come back to Silas…’ Carmilla struggled for a description that wouldn't reveal too much.

‘... Things were piling up and I came back to heal myself.’ It was hard to suppress a shudder as she remembered plunging again and again into that dark lake.

‘I didn't tell Emma I was back. I stayed in the forest. I don't know how she found out I was there, but she came to me. I was on the edge of the pontoon looking out over the water. She sat down next to me, just like all those years ago.

That night she brought me back into Karnverloren. You were so much bigger, just about walking. Your parents loved you so much. I could see it in their eyes. You were the center of their existence. Your mother had even given you the attic, her favourite room in the house, to have as your nursery.

But there was no limit to their love. I realised that I was no exception. It would have been clear to your father that I had not aged the same as them, that I must be different, a monster. He didn't say anything about it, but welcomed me back with embracing arms.

I can't lie and say I found it easy being back. The reasons I had left still stood. You were a perfect family. I was in the way.

My demons still haunted me. I had been trying to heal myself alone, but Emma wouldn't allow me to leave. She wanted to help fix me. It was difficult. I don't think she realised how bad I’d become until that argument.

I think I may have been drunk. I don't know, I really don't remember that day as well as I should have done.’ Carmilla winced as she remembered her fury. 

‘I wasn't getting better and I was angry. I went up to the attic room to confront her. Something dangerous inside of me took over. I'm not saying that makes me any less to blame for what happened.

I blamed her that I wasn't healing.’ Carmilla paused, she was becoming uncomfortable talking about this.

‘I wanted to tear her apart that day. I didn't understand. Her life was so perfect. When I came up those stairs and she was singing you a lullaby, all I wanted to do was take away the richness of life that she had. 

She had told me happiness was simple. I just needed to believe I was better and I would be. Darkness was only in my head. If I spent enough time within your happy family, then its happiness would work itself into me.

I knew that it wasn't that simple. I was angry that she’d had things so easy that she could think that it was. 

I think she was terrified that I'd hurt you. For the first time that night, I think she realised how far into darkness my mind had wandered.

We shouted for ages, but I never laid a finger on her or you. I raged and threatened, but that was the extent of it. 

After that night she seemed to snap out of the daydream she’d been living. She asked me to forgive her, that she’d forgotten how complex it can be to break free of one’s troubles. 

I felt bad. In a moment of anger, I had manipulated her into turning her attentions to me. I hated myself for needing her care, but I don't know where I would have been without it. 

It was around about that time that she started getting ill. I had been getting better, stronger. But she was growing weak. Doctors couldn't tell us what was wrong. They said that according to all of their tests she should have been okay. 

Your father was sick with worry. We cared for her at home since the hospitals couldn't do anything. Day after day her face turned greyer and greyer. Her hands shook, and her movements became slow. 

She kept telling us both not to worry. She never stopped caring. Emma kept up her fierce love for us all until the end.

It drove me mad. I was finally healing, but she was dying and I was powerless to stop it. She refused to stop caring for me. She said she wouldn't give up her guard until I had come to peace with my past.

In her last days we drove out to the sea. It was a long drive, but she insisted. You hadn't seen the ocean before. She wanted to be there when you went for the first time. I think she was already aware that she hadn't got long left. She wanted to do something that you could remember her by.

On the beach she clapped and played with you in the sand. It was as if she was pretending that everything was okay. I was afraid that I was intruding, that I didn't belong, but when I turned to leave she grabbed my hand. It was the same as the first time we met. 

I could tell that Emma was struggling. Even just walking down to the water made her out of breath. She insisted that we stay for a barbecue in the evening. I told her it was too much. She didn't have to pretend she was okay. We could go back home.

Emma brushed off my concerns for her. She said that it was nothing. This day was about the rest of us, she could cope with a little pain.

In the evening as we wrapped ourselves in blankets and drank hot chocolate from a flask. I caught a tear falling from her eye as she stared out across the Adriatic Sea. I let it be.

On the walk back to the car she tripped over. When we went to help her up she couldn't stand. 

Your father was so worried on the drive back. We didn't know what to do anymore. You slept in the front. Emma shook her head as I tried to take her hand in the back. She said she was okay, that we’d had one last good day together, and that was all that mattered.’

Carmilla laughed. ‘She actually even asked if I was okay. Emma was crazy like that, putting her family before herself. 

I think she used up her last shreds of energy on us on that day. When we got back we had to carry her to her bed. 

She died two days later on the Monday afternoon. I couldn't cope with being in the house. I tore apart the attic room. It held too many memories of her happiness and our past together. 

I had to get away from Karnverloren. I ran. On my way out I heard your cries. You were lost in the garden. I scooped you up and carried on running. I wasn't thinking. Deluded by grief I just wanted to take you away from reality.

I wanted to hold onto you. The reason for her happiness. Perfection personified.

I couldn't do that to your father though. He had lost enough already. I left you outside the door the next morning. I couldn't bear to see your dad. Like the coward I am, I ran.'

Carmilla stopped talking. She became aware that Laura hadn't uttered a word throughout the whole story. It unnerved her. 

'Laura? Are you still there?'

Silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got a lot of backstory in this chapter. Was Laura listening though?
> 
> Thanks for reading! You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 11th December.


	25. Chapter 25

It was unerring to look at Carmilla's eyes as she told the tale; like looking at the eyes of someone dreaming, except that Carmilla's eyes were completely open, and completely black. They stared out blindly, watching the story she told unfurl.

The last thing Laura wanted was for Carmilla to convince her that she wasn't a killer. She knew that the woman would be cunning with her words. You wouldn't lie badly if your life was at stake.

From the first word Laura had been tempted to believe. Carmilla was obviously a gifted liar; plus, the facts that she knew of her mother’s past would allow her to fabricate a story that sounded accurate.

As Carmilla began revealing to her mother that she was a monster, Laura made to leave the attic room. Her feet were still bare, she could move silently without the creature knowing. She had only come for the truth, there was no point listening if it was all lies.

It was obvious what was going to happen. Her mother would blindly accept Carmilla’s monstrosity. She would add it in as a lesson for Laura to follow her mother’s lead and forgive Carmilla. 

It wasn't true. It couldn't be; could it? Laura slid down the doorframe and gazed back into the room. She sat on the floor as she continued listening to the tale. The stake in her hand felt firm and solid. It was always optional to put the story to an end if it got too much.

_”History is history. It's gone, it can't hurt you. But she brought it back, and I cried for the times that I couldn't.”_

Laura looked at Carmilla. Her eyes were bunched shut and her head hung low. It didn't feel like she was telling the story to Laura anymore. This was something different, like Carmilla was letting herself relive the past. The emotion in Carmilla’s voice would have been difficult even for a gifted liar to fake.

Slowly Laura stepped towards belief.

For the remainder of the tale Carmilla’s eyes remained shut. 

Laura pressed her hand to the wall. Her finger traced through one of the claw marks. Another tear rolled off her cheek to the floor.

She no longer believed that Carmilla could be lying. There was too much detail to her story. Too much emotion there. 

These claw marks weren't the remnants of a cruel massacre. Carmilla had been devastated by Emma’s death. Laura was sure that it she had been in the same position, she would have torn the room apart too.

Laura looked over to where she had tied Carmilla up. Carmilla's head was now angled towards the ceiling. Her eyes were tightly shut. She looked terrified.

'Laura? are you still there? Please answer me... I'm sorry.'

The plea sounded desperate. Laura stood and moved back into the room from the doorway. Carmilla's head flicked towards the sound of her shoe.

'You're still here.' A relief flooded through her voice. She hesitated, before giving a sad smile and shaking her head at the floor. 'You still intend on killing me creampuff? At least the truth won't die with me I suppose.'

 

‘Why didn't you tell me?’

‘You believe me?’ Carmilla's voice cracked halfway through her sentence 

‘Of course I do.’ 

For once all of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle seemed to align. The facts of Carmilla's story matched the small glimpses of the past that Laura had gleaned from her father.

Laura winced. The details of the story rung in her mind. It was difficult thinking of her mother back then. Full of life. 

‘The past hurts doesn't it?' Carmilla said. 'I'm sorry, I tried to keep this all from you.’

Laura shook her head. ‘I needed to know. It would have all come out at some point anyway.’

Carmilla sighed and nodded. Laura felt her pity flow out to her. They had both lost someone important, but Laura had put the blame on Carmilla.

Mica and Carmilla were one. It took some effort to process. All those times Laura had thought that Carmilla was avoiding her; she had been there literally the whole time. All the mysteries of the past few months were slowly clicking into place.

‘That's why you ran from me that night after the Adonis Festival. You realised who I was.’

Carmilla nodded, ‘I had been going to drain you.’

‘You kill people?’ Laura wasn't quite sure whether she was shocked or not. Before the story she had taken it as a given.

‘Only when necessary. I need life energy to survive, the strongest source of that is blood. Usually old blood from hospitals or animals is enough, but I was losing energy at a really fast rate. 

You have one hell of a lot of energy inside of you. I can sense it now. Back then, at the festival, I thought if I took your blood I'd never have to kill again. I've always had to do that. I used to enjoy it, but now I just do because I'm too much of a coward to die.’

Laura knelt in front of where Carmilla was sat. She placed a hand on the girl’s knee. Carmilla’s head twitched and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

‘I don't need your compassion,’ she stated. ‘I am the monster you think I can't be. Just because Emma was my friend doesn't mean that I'm a good person.’ 

'Carm. Open your eyes. Look at me.'

‘There's no point. I wouldn't see anything. I've no energy left, my body is failing me.’

‘Please.’

Carmilla opened her eyes.

‘It's daytime?’ Laura watched as Carmilla squinted and blinked at the sunlight. ‘How long was I out for?’ Carmilla asked.

Laura suddenly felt bad. ‘A couple of days. It's Wednesday afternoon.’

‘Seriously? I was unconscious and you left me in that state for four days? What is wrong with you?’

Laura put a hand on the floor and rose to her feet.

‘Well if you remember correctly, I wasn't exactly the biggest fan of you back then. I was kinda hoping you’d just…’

‘Die nice and quietly without you having to put in any effort?’

Laura shuffled her foot on the floor.

‘Um. Kinda. Sorry about that.’

Carmilla sighed. ‘No, it's kill or be killed. I am a murderer, it's fair enough. Though do you mind… Y’know...’ 

Laura tilted her head in confusion.

‘...Untying me?’ Carmilla gestured with her glance to her hands behind her back.

Laura jumped. ‘Oh my god. Sorry! I completely forgot.’

‘What? About the five rolls of duct tape around my chest and…’ Carmilla waggled her head from side to side as she wriggled her shoulders, ‘...I’d say about ten lengths of rope around my arms?’

‘We were worried you’d escape.’

Carmilla raised an eyebrow and chuckled. ‘No duh.’

Laura was relieved that Carmilla hadn't noticed her slip of the tongue. She’d meant to use ‘I’ rather than ‘we’. Danny had been over cautious in tying Carmilla down before letting Laura in a room alone with her.

It now seemed like it had been a bad idea going back to Silas for backup. Laf and Danny were waiting downstairs. There was no way that Carmilla would be happy if she knew.

A range of weapons lay in a bag that Danny had left on the table. Laura rifled through it until she found what she was looking for. It was difficult to slice the knife through the elaborately knotted rope without cutting into Carmilla. 

Eventually she managed, and Carmilla stood up and stretched. Laura saw Carmilla wavering. She rushed to grab her shoulders, and managed to steady her before she fell.

‘Careful. You're not in a good state.’

‘I'm fine. I could do with a nap though.’

‘Seriously? You've pretty much been asleep for four days.’

‘You are severely wrong if you think being unconscious is the same as sleep. I do not in any way now feel refreshed.’

Carmilla walked to the door. Laura ran after her. There was a possibility that Danny and Laf would be at the bottom of the stairs.

‘Um. Why don't you take a nap up here? It's a bedroom isn't it?’

‘Are you kidding sunshine? I want to get as far from this room as possible.’

‘Don't go back to sleeping in the woods’

Carmilla gave her an odd look as she circled down the stairs.

‘Of course not. I'm going to go and sleep in my own bed.’

Thankfully Danny and Laf must have stayed in the front room where she’d left them. The hallway at the bottom of the stairs was empty. Along the corridors Carmilla wove, until she reached Laura’s room. She pushed open the door and collapsed herself onto the bed.

Hadn't Carmilla said she was going to go to sleep in her own bed? Laura thought that perhaps she was too wiped out to even remember where she was. Unless...

‘...This is your room?’

‘And first prize for intelligence goes to the short one. Of course it is, that wardrobe is full of my clothes.’

Laura nodded. More things made sense now. They had been covered with years worth of dust. Unlike a normal nineteen year old, Carmilla would have been big enough to fit into those clothes all of those years ago. 

‘So how old are you really?’ Laura asked. She was curious.

Carmilla rolled over and buried her face into the yellow pillow.

‘Less questions, more sleep.’

‘But there's so much I need to know. Like how can you see again? What happened?’

‘None of your questions have short answers. I'll answer that one, but then you leave me to rest. Just remember to actually wake me up before nightfall this time.’

There was so much more that Laura wanted to know, but it didn't seem like Carmilla was open to being bargained with. The white sheets crumpled as Laura perched on the edge of the bed.

‘I don't really know the answer myself fully. I went blind because of an energy low. Having no energy switches off each of my functions and organs one by one. For me, the eyes are often near the first to go.

There are two ways that a vampire can gain energy. By force we can take it from blood, but the life energy we feed on is also present in strong emotions. It's not like blood where we can just take it, the energy has to be given of free will. We usually gain it through strong feelings of care, compassion, love, etcetera. 

It's rare for a vampire to receive any of those emotions, that's why we tend to use the blood method. I managed to survive off of your parents’ care for a long time. Anyway, I don't want to go back into that now. That's your question answered.’

Laura nodded as if she understood. Did that answer her question? There was a whole lot about this vampire thing that she needed to get her head around.

Carmilla wouldn't answer any more questions. Leaving her in peace, Laura stood up to leave the room.

It seemed like Carmilla had already crashed out. Her breaths were slow and her dark hair lay messily against the pillow. Laura was thankful that she had returned to hear what Carmilla had to say. There was still a good person hiding within Carmilla, she just didn't seem to believe it herself.

Laura shut the door behind herself carefully to avoid making noise. 

She made her way to the front room. Laura was really regretting bringing Laf and Danny to the house now. They would have questions, and Laura wasn't quite sure that she was up to answering them. 

They both stood up as she entered. Worried looks marked both faces. Danny pretty much pounced on her.

‘Laura! You're okay. I was worried. Is she finally…’

Danny drew her thumb against her neck.

‘No. No. She’s still alive. She’s sleeping’

Danny looked outraged. ‘What? You let her free?’

‘She told me what actually happened. I think we got it all wrong.’

Danny smirked. She didn't believe a word of it.

‘So, that's not actually her in the old photograph with your parents; she doesn't turn into an incredibly dangerous wild animal that apparently you've been living with for months, and she definitely hasn't actually killed anyone; it was all our mistake?’

Laura writhed inside. The mistake had been blabbering all her suspicions before gathering evidence. LaFontaine had been useful in acquiring the blood, and she’d wanted Danny around to provide weapons. 

‘Well not exactly. She didn't kill my mother though.’

‘I knew I shouldn't have let you go up alone. Whatever she said was to trick you into letting her free.’

LaFontaine piped up; ‘I have to admit Laura, letting a vampire loose doesn't seem like the greatest of plans. They are notoriously good at lying’

Laura shook her head. She was already tired of defending her decision.

‘Look. You didn't hear her story, I did. I decided it was true. If you don't agree with my decision, you can leave.’

Danny growled. ‘We should have killed her when we had the chance. Scum like her need to be scraped off the earth. It's probably not too late. If she's sleeping then we have the element of surprise.’

Fire was in Danny’s eyes. She picked up a sword from the table and made towards the door. Before Laura knew what she was doing she was standing in Danny’s path.

‘Don't stop me Laura. We know she's a monster. You’ll thank me later.’

‘Get out of this house.’ Laura assumed a fighting stance. Danny looked down at her.

‘I'm not leaving until she’d dead.’

Laura didn't move. She realised she was willing to attack Danny if she took another step towards Carmilla.

‘You get out of this house right now Lawrence.’ Laura hissed the words. She hoped she sounded threatening; she didn't feel it.

Danny looked to the door, and back to Laura.

‘Fine. I'll go.’

Laura followed Danny out into the hall. The girl was obviously still bristling with anger. Something didn't fit. Danny wasn't the kind to give up so easily. Laura knew what was going to occur before it even happened.

Danny’s eyes flickered from the front door, to the stairs. Fast as a bolt she started running, but so had Laura. Before Danny even knew what had happened, Laura had tackled and pinned her to the floor. 

‘I have been learning Krav Maga for most of my life. Don't assume your height gives you an advantage.’

When Danny gave up struggling, Laura let go. This time she walked her to the door. 

‘She is bad news Laura. Why can't you see that?’

Laura opened the front door and pushed Danny out. 

‘I told you. If you don't agree with my decision, you can leave.’

Laura closed the door and leant back against it. She breathed out before opening her eyes. 

Laf was standing in the hallway looking dazed. 

‘Killer moves there Hollis. Are you sure Karnstein was telling the truth?’

‘Yes. I trust her.’

‘So you go from wanting to leave her to die, to kicking Danny’s arse in order to protect her?’

‘I know. The last few days have been a roller coaster. Thanks for making me go and listen to her story. You were right. If I had just left her there I would never have known what happened. What I don't get is how she stayed alive in that state for so long.’

LaFontaine rubbed their chin and looked up at the ceiling.

‘I don't believe it is possible to kill a vampire. You brought her to with blood. That would suggest that some form of energy deficiency was causing her apparent unconsciousness. Whereas a lack of energy in humans would lead to organ failure, then eventually death, I don't think that could happen in a being that cannot be killed.

What I imagine happened was that her organs shut off and stopped working, but didn't allow for her brain death, which is obviously maintained by something supernatural that we can't understand. Without energy she would not be able to move and her body would cease to function. Nevertheless her mind would remain alive and I’d imagine that she’d remain trapped inside of it, until she gained the necessary energy for her body to work again.’

Laura wasn't sure she understood everything, but she got the gist.

‘So we left her mind alive inside her own dead body for four days?’

LaFontaine frowned. ‘I suspect something along those lines.’

Upstairs Carmilla would be sleeping. Laura knew now why she was quite so tired. 

‘God. I put her through hell.’

‘I might be wrong, we can never know all the…’

Laura cut them off. ‘You're never wrong. I can't believe I did that to her.’

Laf stepped towards her and put a hand on her shoulder.

‘Hey,’ they said, ‘you didn't know. Besides at the time you had good reason for being angry and upset. Let's go down to the kitchen. I'll make you a hot cocoa and you can fill me in with what she told you. I bought some chocolate chip cookies earlier. You can finish the whole pack if you like.’

Laura nodded. She did like chocolate chip cookies, and a hot chocolate sounded nice. She followed Laf down the stairs to the servants quarters. Maybe everything would be alright from now on. She had to hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey :) Since the next update is going to fall on Christmas Day, I'm going to write you all a Christmas chapter. I haven't decided yet whether it will contain much actually Christmassy stuff, but at the least it will have lots of fluff without much plot. A little change from the darker stuff I usually give you ;)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be on CHRISTMAS DAY.


	26. Chapter 26

Laura made sure that she remembered to wake Carmilla before nightfall this time. 

As soon as she had finished her hot chocolate and talked over the tale that Carmilla had told she worked on convincing LaFontaine that she'd be fine in the house by herself. She knew that Perry would worry if they weren't back before it got dark.

A chill air drifted into the house as Laura waved them off into the woods. She stood in the doorway and rubbed the tops of her arms as she watched the sky become inflected with oranges and reds. It was too cold for this time of year. 

Aware of the advancing dusk, Laura stepped back and hauled the heavy oak door shut. Soundlessly, she spirited herself upstairs and to the door of Carmilla's room. Carefully she pressed the door open and placed a foot inside.

It was strange to see another sleeping in the bed which Laura had regarded as her own for so long. As she stepped in she noticed that the curtains were fully open. The reds and oranges of the sky gently illuminated Carmilla's face. 

The bed sheet rose and fell slowly with the gentle breaths of slumber. Looking at the sleeping girl, Laura was confused at how she could have ever felt threatened by her. Curly dark hair lay against the pillow, framing Carmilla's china white complexion. She looked so flawless, so untouched by time; Laura had difficulty accepting that she had really lived so long.

Eternal youth. An eternity trapped inside a body frozen in time. What did that mean? An instant and forever, converging into one. 

Carmilla shifted, turning her shoulders towards the window, towards where Laura was standing. Daylight was running out. Her peaceful sleep would be shattered by painful nightmares. There was no way Laura was going to let that happen again.

Laura reached her hand out to shake her shoulder. Carmilla's eyebrow began to waver, and deepen into a frown. Back out of the window a cloud passed over the descending sun. You could practically see Carmilla's dreams drifting down into darkness. 

'It's time to wake up.' Laura said, shattering the calm silence of the room.

Carmilla's eyes fluttered open for a second and shut again. She rolled over onto the other side.

'No no no. You have to wake up now.' Laura climbed onto the side of the mattress. Kneeling over Carmilla and firmly shaking her.

There was no movement.

'Carmilla. Please. You can't be asleep at night.' 

Beginning to worry, Laura shook her even harder. 

'Carmilla.'

The girl's eyes remained shut, but she finally spoke.

'Okay, okay. Give me a minute. I'm not as young as you.' 

Laura let go of her shoulders and Carmilla stretched her arms upwards and arched her back. Her t-shirt pulled up to reveal a toned stomach. Blushing, Laura looked up and out of the window. Night had fallen. It was good that Carmilla was awake.

It suddenly occurred to Laura that Carmilla might be hungry.

'Do you want to eat anything?' She asked. 

Carmilla raised an eyebrow and opened one eye to look at Laura with.

'Stupid question cupcake.'

Laura was confused. 'Wait. You do eat right? Like, stuff other than blood? I'm so sorry, I just have no idea what vampires like.'

Carmilla nodded.

'Yeah. I eat regular food, just like humans. I wouldn't die without it, but the stomach does start to ache. Besides it tastes good.'

Laura knelt back and sat on her heels.

'So you like pancakes?'

Carmilla was beginning to appear somewhat more awake now. She lifted herself up to lean back on her elbows.

'I do indeed. You do realise that it's not breakfast though?'

Laura giggled. 'Stop being old fashioned. Food doesn't have a set time of day.'

'If you say so.'

Laura shuffled backwards off the bed and stood up. She made her way over to the door before turning back.

'I'll be in the kitchen. Be down in a bit. Don't go back to sleep.'

The hallways were dark, but the way down the stairs and to the kitchens felt familiar now. Laura remembered the struggles she'd had on arrival even locating where the kitchen was.

When she'd descended into the servant's quarters, Laura made her way straight to the range. She grabbed the matches and put some wood in the right opening. Within seconds she had a fire going. She'd learnt that the old wood fired stove took forever to heat up.

Next, she lit the storm lantern she'd bought that was resting on the center table, before making her way to the larder. 

Once she had gathered the ingredients from the shelves she brought them back into the kitchen and started creating her pancake batter. There were some blueberries too, but Laura wasn't sure whether Carmilla would like them or not. In the end she didn't add them to the mix.

Laura had just added butter to the pan when a chill sensation ran up her spine. Somehow she knew she was being watched. She spun to discover Carmilla creeping up on her. Laura had to admit she was impressed; the girl was less than a meter away.

Carmilla smiled and slouched backwards putting her hands into her pockets. Laura waved her spatula at her. 

'Hey. This house is creepy enough without you ghosting around.'

Carmilla chucked, before stepping backwards a little and leaning against the table.

'Smells good.'

Laura had turned back to the stove and picked up the bowl with the mix. Frowning, she twitched her head to the side.

'What are you talking about? I haven't started yet.'

'No, but I can smell the batter. My senses are all pretty good.'

Laura nodded, pouring the first batch into the pan.

'Is that because you're part panther?'

'Perhaps. Who can say really. Mother could never shift, but she could still hear every word of what you said, even miles away. Even I don't have hearing that good.'

Laura flipped a pancake. They were browning nicely on the other side.

'Your Mother. I'm guessing not your real mother if she's a vampire too. You haven't mentioned her before.'

Carmilla was silent for a second before replying. 'Yeah. We didn't always see eye to eye. But that's another story for another day.'

It was fair enough. Carmilla had told Laura enough of her past for now. 

'Okay, almost ready. Grab a seat.'

Laura shuffled the pancakes onto a plate. She grabbed the syrup with the other hand and brought them over to Carmilla.

Drawing a chair up opposite, Laura watched Carmilla pour the sugary solution in the wavering lantern light, before tucking in.

It suddenly occurred to Laura that if Carmilla was descended from some great family, she was probably used to dining on the great table upstairs. Laura blushed and looked up at Carmilla.

'I'm sorry. This is where the servants ate isn't it?'

Carmilla looked at Laura in confusion.

'Yeah. So?'

'I should have brought this up to you in the dining room. You probably find it degrading to eat down here.'

Carmilla shrugged.

'Actually, I quite like it. By the time they'd brought the food up all of those stairs, it had gone cold. Besides, I don't think I want to be the same person as I was back then. Those servants had more right to sit at a good table than I ever did. By the way, excellent pancakes.'

The compliment made Laura happier than she'd expected. Her face widened into a smile. Perhaps that was because she wasn't used to Carmilla being positive about things.

Conversation moved on to food. Apparently Carmilla already knew quite enough about Laura's sweet tooth from being around her as Mica. She was surprised to find that Carmilla was also a fan of the sweeter foods too; she'd always expected her to be more of a savoury girl.

It didn't take long for Carmilla to finish eating. Laura did offer to make more, but Carmilla said she was full. They moved upstairs to the lounge. As Laura was lit the fire, Carmilla began rummaging around on the shelves.

'I know it'll be around here somewhere.'

Laura turned back. She was curious about what it was. The fire had caught so she stood and moved over to the couch. Carmilla brought an old looking wooden box over. She blew on the top, sparking a cloud of dust to puff out, then wiped the rest off the top with her hand.

'What is it?' Laura asked. 

'Senet.' Carmilla replied, opening the box and pouring out its contents onto the table. 

It turned out that it was some ancient Egyptian board game. The rules were explained a number of times by Carmilla, but they never really soaked in. Supposedly there were set ways the pieces could move, but Laura ignored them. Carmilla pretended to be annoyed, but Laura knew that she secretly found it funny.

Eventually the warm fire and low light made Laura feel sleepy. It had been a long day and it was getting pretty late. She yawned and leaned down sideways on the couch. It wasn't particularly soft material, but she was so tired that it felt like she was sinking into it.

Listening to the soft crackle of the burning wood, she shut her eyes. Laura hadn't been planning on going to sleep there, but now she found she'd lost the effort to move. There was the sound of the chair scraping as Carmilla stood up. 

Moments later she felt soft fur against her skin. Laura reached a tired arm out and pulled Mica into her. She was warm. Laura traced patterns in her fur, listening to the soft sounds of her breath as she drifted into oblivion.

Through her dreams, Laura was faintly aware of gentle hands lifting her, then travelling through corridors and up stairs. She had forgotten by the time that she woke.

'Hey, sleepyhead.'

Laura groaned. She attempted to open her eyes but it was too bright.

'Hey, come on, get up.'

Laura blinked and rubbed her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but it focused onto Carmilla, sat on the side of the bed. She looked happy. Too happy. Carmillla was supposed to be the grumpy one.

Laura sat up straight and looked around the bedroom. She didn't feel sleepy anymore.

'What is it? What's wrong?' she inquired, still checking around the room for anything different. It didn't occur to her that what she was missing was that she had fallen asleep downstairs.

'Nothing.' Carmilla said, walking over to the curtains and opening them.

It was bright. 'What time is it?' Laura asked. 

'Eleven. Already. You should start packing, we need to get moving.'

Laura pretty much leaped out of bed.

'What? Where are we going? Why? How do I know what to pack?'

Carmilla lazily undid the window catch and lifted it open. She leant on the sill and glanced back into the room.

'I just think we should get away for a few days. It's summer, what are we doing in this old dump?'

'But I have a placement in the library! And where are we going to stay, I know that...'

'Come on, it'll be fun. I know you like fun...' Carmilla taunted. 'Besides, you don't do much at that library job anyway.

Laura huffed. 'I do!' 

Carmilla lifted an eyebrow and Laura's shoulders dropped.

'Okay. Fair enough. Where are we going?'

Carmilla walked over to the door. 'Now that, my dear, is a surprise. Just put some clothes in a bag, we'll leave in ten.' 

With that, she left. Laura hurriedly grabbed her rucksack and started gathering together the things she thought she might need.

Ten minutes later and she was walking down the stairs holding the rucksack by its right strap. In the hall, Carmilla was waiting.

'Are we going to eat before we leave?' Laura asked. As if on queue, her stomach made a slight gurgle.

'Hmm. Got some leftovers downstairs, I think. How about bolognese?'

Laura wrinkled her nose. 'For breakfast?'

'Look who's being old fashioned now.' Carmilla teased. 'What was it you said? Food doesn't have a time of day?' 

Laura shoved Carmilla's shoulder and hoisted the bag up onto her back. 

'Shuddup you.' 

Carmilla's face broke into a smile. Laura found it strangely enchanting. She shook her head slowly and looked towards the door. It was nice to be getting along with Carmilla. Perhaps they could become good friends.

'Shall we get going then?' Laura asked.

Carmilla nodded, opening the door.

'After you m'lady.' 

Laura smiled sarcastically, before stepping outside into the warm sun. Carmilla pulled the door to a close behind her and they walked to the edge of the woods. 

'Where are we walking to?' Laura asked.

'Oh. We aren't walking.' Carmilla pauses at the border of the forest

Laura frowned. 'Then how will we get anywhere? Unless you're planning to find a bustop, or have a secret vehicle hidden somewhere. Even so, the road is pretty far.'

'We aren't going anywhere a road can take us kiddy. Hold on a sec.'

Carmilla faced Laura and held up a hand. Laura almost screamed as the edges of her figure began to blur and disintegrate. It was like she was made of black sand, which began whirling around in the place she stood. A mist like cloud of dust churned, for just a moment, before compacting into a new shape.

Laura looked into the eyes of Mica.

For a moment she felt like she need to sit down. It wasn't like she hadn't believed that Carmilla could shapeshift; it was just strange actually watching it happen.

Laura edged her hand forwards to touch Mica's ear. Yup, it was real. Solid and there; no longer dust. 

'I must say Karnstein, I'm impressed.' 

Mica looked at her back pointedly, then to Laura.

'Seriously?' 

Mica nodded. Laura looked at her. She was obviously now big enough to hold Laura's weight. Laura couldn't help but remember when she was still kitten size, now her head was level with Laura's shoulder.

'I meant to ask, how have you grown so much?'

Mica growled and rolled her eyes.

'Oh sorry. Should have asked earlier. Wow. So what do I do? Just like climb on and hope I don't fall off?'

Mica waggled her head from side for a moment, as if thinking, then nodded.

Laura took a breath in, then stepped forwards, placing her hands against the fur. Carmilla's body felt warm to her touch.

'Are you sure?' Laura checked.

The great cat nodded and Laura hoisted herself up onto her back. She sat up straight, not quite sure of her positioning, and dug her fingers into the fur for a hold. Carmilla yelped.

'Sorry!'

Laura released her fingers a little.

'Ok, let's go.' Before Laura had finished, Carmilla was charging forwards.

The sudden acceleration hit Laura, almost forcing her off. She instantly flung herself forwards, wrapping her arms around Mica's neck as she clung on for dear life. Trees shot past. Branches seemed to leap up out of nowhere as Carmilla dodged and wove her way through the trees.

For the first few minutes, Laura was too scared to enjoy it much. But then she slowly ventured to open her eyes. It kept feeling like they were going to hit into some tree, but every time Mica brushed past it easily. With time Laura gained confidence in Carmilla's skill and began to take in the experience.

It was incredible. To whizz silently through the trees, the forest a blur as they traversed its great expanse. Mica's paws drummed out a beat on the earth floor, and the wind rushed through Laura's hair. It felt good. Finally Laura felt in sync with Carmilla's movements, no longer disjointed, but operating together as one.

There was a river up ahead. Laura doubted that they'd make it, but Mica easily traversed it in one swift leap. Laura let out a whoop of excitement, and Carmilla doubled in speed. 

It felt like they must have been going for at least an hour, but Carmilla didn't seem to tire. Laura tried to picture in her head where they were going. When they'd begun they had traveled in the opposite direction than Silas. She'd quickly lost track after that, they were perhaps heading...

Her thoughts were interrupted when she looked forwards to see that the ground ran out straight ahead.

'Carmilla. No.'

The giant black cat continued heading for the edge.

'Carmilla, don't you dare, don't you...'

Mica leaped and they were frozen in midair. Laura was too petrified to look down. They had been falling for too long. Surely they couldn't survive this. Oh god, this was it, this was the end. Carmilla had misjudged and they weren't going to make it. 

Carmilla's feet caught the floor and absorbed the impact. Laura looked back at the cliff. It was about twenty meters high. 

'Don't you scare me like that!' Laura laughed then whacked Mica jokingly about the ears. 

They slowed to a stop and Laura slipped off. Mica whirled into a blur, and then Carmilla was there again, leaning against a tree and laughing.

Laura lay down on the grass and Carmilla crashed down next to her, breathing heavily in between bouts of laughter.

'Well that was fun,' she finally said when she'd caught her breath. Laura sniggered, and they both collapsed back into hysterics.

Laura rolled onto her side to look at Carmilla. The girl was staring up at the sky. She was radiant. This was the happiest Laura had ever seen her. She turned her eyes to glance at Laura.

'I don't get it.' Laura said.

'What?' Carmilla asked.

'If you have access to that, anytime, why aren't you always just running?'

'It's not so fun on your own. The novelty wears off after a while. Hearing you screaming though...' Carmilla chuckled.

'I was not screaming.' Laura stated indignantly.

'Uh, I beg to differ, there was a little screaming there, especially at that little bit near the end.' Carmilla smiled, twisting a blade of glass between her fingers. 

'But also I seem to have more energy now than I used to.' She added thoughtfully. 'That's the answer to how Mica's grown so much.' Carmilla turned to face Laura fully, and stared deeply into her eyes. 'I think that it's because you...'

Laura sat up straight, cutting Carmilla off.

'Hold on a second.' Laura held up her hand for silence. Carmilla looked at her in confusion, then looked all about them. Laura nodded and pointed, 'I recognise that tree.'

'I beg your pardon?'

'I think I've been here before. I recognise that tree.'

'You recognise a tree?' Carmilla drawled, raising an eyebrow.

'I think so. Hold on.' Laura stood up and scampered over to the forest edge. She started nodding. 'Yeah I know where we are. Follow me.'

Laura started walking off into the woods. She could hear Carmilla get up and dragging her feet behind her. Laura barely noticed. If she was right, the clearing would be right up ahead. 

'I knew it!' She called back to Carmilla. 

'What did you know?' Carmilla asked, catching Laura up.

'This.' Laura pointed. It was the old log cabin that Danny had taken her to all that time ago. 

'Oh how quaint.' Carmilla said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Lets go.'

'We can stop here for lunch.' Laura said, grabbing Carmilla's arm.

'I don't like it.' Carmilla said, 'I've got a bad feeling.' 

Laura wasn't listening. She dragged Carmilla inside.

'What about the owner?'

'There isn't an owner. At least I don't think so. I haven't seen one.' Laura's eyes darted around the space like an excited child. 'Look. It's hardly been changed. I recon this place is about a hundred years old.'

'A little older actually.' Carmilla mumbled under her breath. 

'What was that?' Laura asked. Carmilla shook her head. 

The thought of lunch made Laura's stomach begin begging for food. Carmilla rifled about in the cupboard, before bringing out a solitary tin.

'Looks like this is the last tin. Reindeer meat.'

'Yum' Laura said sarcastically.

'Really? All the more for me then.' Carmilla opened a drawer and began rifling about, probably looking for a can opener.

Laura chuckled. 'You really are an animal.' She wandered out of the kitchen area and over to the table. There were some plates arranged at one end. Laura walked over to them. 

Each plate had a selection of gingerbread men. There was a large impressive iced house behind them.

Laura reached out and picked up one of the cookies, biting into it. She was sure that whoever left them there wouldn't mind if she had just one.

'Hey Karnstein. Gonna wish you waited now, look what I found.'

Laura turned to see Carmilla. There was unmistakably fear in her eyes. Why was there fear in her eyes?

'Laura what have you done?'

'What?' Laura felt confused. Her eyesight was beginning to go blurry. 

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was Carmilla running towards her.

-

Something was tapping Laura on the nose. She blinked her eyes open to see LaFontaine staring down at her. Around her was snow, but it didn't feel particularly cold. 

'Laf. Where are we?' 

'I have no idea. Pretty cool though hey. Look at this.' They scooped up a snowball and threw with some force, into the blank whiteness that surrounded them. Within seconds, it smashed into their back.

Laura sat up.

'No way? How did that happen?'

'I have no idea. This place defies any science that I can understand. Wait, lets see if I come back to you if I run that way.'

Before Laura could stop them, Laf was disappearing off into the white mist. Laura scrambled to her feet and ran after them. 

'Laf!' she called out. For about five minutes she carried on running in the hope of refinding them, completely out of breath. Laura cursed. The white was seemingly endless. She scooped up a snowball and threw it as hard as she could.

'Ow' she called other in pain as the hard ice crashed into the back of her head. 'Incredible' she whispered.

Laura trudged through the snow a little more to see if she could find a border to the place. She had been travelling in blankness for minutes.

'Seriously?' Laura called out. 'There has to be something here. Give me something, anything!'

Suddenly she came across something sitting in the snow. Laura looked down at it. It was a mug of some unidentifiable hot liquid, with a cinnamon stick poking out of it. She didn't trust unknown sources of food anymore. Laura couldn't quite grasp why, her memory was feeling pretty blurry.

She carried on walking, but soon enough she came across the mug again. 

'No.' She told it. 'I am not drinking you.' 

Laura carried on walking into the snow until she came across the mug again. This time there was a gingerbread man standing next to it. Laura skidded to a halt. 

'Okay, this is not fun anymore. How do I get out of here?'

Panicking, Laura began to run. Every few seconds she'd pass the same mug, again and again and again and again. Each time, another gingerbread man appeared on a plate next to it. The pile grew larger and larger until it was as tall as her head.

Laura couldn't keep running any longer. It wasn't getting her any further anyway. She collapsed and lay against the tower of gingerbread, breathing heavily. 

A voice boomed down out of the emptiness. A female voice with a thick German accent.

'Why aren’t you eating, dear? it’s Christmas time. indulge yourself.'

Laura jumped out of her skin and scrambled to her feet, looking upwards into the white mist. 'Hello? Who is that? What am I doing here?'

The voice ignored Laura's questions. 

'Look at you, poor bird, exhausted, all alone. So far from home. Let mama whip you up a Christmas treat. All of your favourite things. Why not have some gingerbread? Some hot apple cider?'

'Um no thank you,' Laura called up. 'I'd prefer get out of here.'

'But food can be such a comfort! I'm sure you'd feel better. You just let the sugar and the butter and the spice fill you up to the brim. It’s the stuff of life.'

'No, really, I'm fine without. I’m just so worried about my sugar intake, what with heart health and diabetes.' Laura hoped that she could persuade the voice to leave her alone again.

'No need to worry about those things, my little lebkuchen, my little weihnachten snack. You can have anything you want.'

The voice wasn't going to leave. Laura began to run again, but with one pass, the gingerbread pile doubled in size. Not fancying death by cookie avalanche, she stopped running.

'What’s the matter, sweet girl?' The voice asked. 'Would you like something else? Some jelly beans or gumdrops? Or chocolate cake or marzipan? You can have anything you want here. Look at your friends, they are enjoying themselves. Eating up. Enjoying Christmas.'

Laura slowly walked forwards, to see Laf and Perr sitting at a table laughing and eating cookies. She called out to them and waved her hands in front of their faces, but they couldn't see her. Slamming her hand down on the table in annoyance, Laura scowled upwards and was about to shout, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

'Have some gingerbread. It's my specialty.' The voice called out. 'Look who's brought it to you'

Laura turned around to see Carmilla wearing a particularly alluring dress and holding a tray of cookies in one hand. 'I'm guessing you can't hear me either.' Laura said, waving her hand at the girl. 

Carmilla moved a finger forwards, pressing it onto Laura's lips for silence, then picking up a cookie moved it forwards for her to eat. Laura pushed the hand away. 

'Don't fight it,' the voice urged. 'I know what you desire.'

'This is nonsense. This isn't what I want. These aren't my friends. This isn't real.' Laura was angry. 

She began to run again. If there began to be too much gingerbread, she could always run on top of it. There was no way she was going to play by this woman's rules, there was no way, no way, no way.

'Laura!?'

A jolt spread through her system. Laura felt cold water on her face.

'Laura!' On opening her eyes, Laura was relieved to find herself back outside in the forest. A pair of concerned eyes looked down at her. Laura attacked Carmilla with a hug.

'Carmilla! I thought I was trapped there forever! You should have seen the place. Endless snow! She tried to make me eat cookies. I didn't though. I didn't eat any cookies.'

The vampire raised an eyebrow at Laura. 

'None of it was real. You were drugged. Hopefully this'll teach you not to eat random food you find lying around.'

Laura shook her head. It was coming back to her now, the cabin, the biscuits on the table. Why were they out in the woods? Carmilla must have carried her away after realising that something was wrong.

Her vivid dream began to blur into obscurity. What had it been about again? Something she desired? She was sure Carmilla had been there. Why was Carmilla there?

Carmilla clicked her fingers in front of Laura's face. 'Are you feeling okay? I want you to drink this water.'

Laura said she felt completely fine, but drunk the water anyway.

'I don't get it. Who would spike gingerbread men?'

Carmilla sighed. 'You need to read more fairytales. I found the peasant who owns that place. Don't worry, I've dealt with her.'

'Thanks' Laura said, looking up. 'Um, Carm you have a little...'

She used the edge of her sleeve to wipe off a drop of blood that was rolling down the side of Carmilla's lip. Laura decided not to ask questions. Instead, she drew herself into the girl's embrace, accepting the comfort that she offered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that mammoth chapter. It's the longest so far, so consider it a Christmas gift :) 
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> I'm travelling to see some friends in Sweden for New Year, so the next update will be a week later than it usually is. As such, the next update will be FRIDAY 15th JANUARY.


	27. Chapter 27

A breath of wind rolled through the fabric of the trees. The forest was captured in calm silence, pale sunlight filtering down through leaves like rays of light rippling down to the bottom of the sea.

Carmilla drew a finger through a curl in Laura's shining chestnut hair. The small girl was still grasping her tightly in an embrace. Carmilla was aware of the anger in her chest abating. She wouldn't let anyone hurt Laura again. The cabin owner had been dealt with, and Laura would be okay.

As much as she was enjoying the hug, Carmilla knew that they should make a move. It would be better to be far from the cabin by the time night fell, and Laura would be too tired to do much traveling today.

Carmilla pulled herself backwards slowly and Laura let go.

'How are you feeling?' Carmilla asked. She couldn't help but lift her hand to brush back a lock of hair that had fallen to the front of Laura's face.

Laura nodded slowly, looking down at the forest floor. She picked up a leaf, rolling it slowly between her fingers. 'Better.' 

Carmilla drew herself to her feet. She held out her hands. Laura moved her eyes up from the floor to Carmilla's face. 

'Where are we going?'

'Still a secret cupcake.' Carmilla winked, then instantly cringed at herself inside. She chewed on the inside of her lip and held out her hands again. 'Come on, I want to get you out of this area.'

Two hands moved into hers, and Carmilla pulled Laura to her feet. 

'I don't suppose you'll have the energy to hold onto Mica,' Carmilla shrugged, 'so we'll just walk for a bit.'

Carmilla felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She hesitated before putting an arm around Laura's waist for support, and they begun walking.

For a long time they were silent. Laura seemed lost in a dream world. Carmilla had hardly ever seen her so quiet before. Another surge of anger rose up inside her chest but she pushed it down.

Their pace was too slow, the sun was beginning to slowly fall down onto the horizon. Carmilla glanced to her side. Laura looked tired. This wasn't right, she needed rest. They slowed to a stop. Laura turned to Carmilla questioningly.

Carmilla put one arm against her back, and the other against her legs and lifted. Laura protested, but only weakly. With Laura in her arms, they could travel much faster. It wasn't like Carmilla had any limit to her strength now, she could feel the untainted energy whizzing around her veins.

There was no doubt that Laura was to blame. It was how Carmilla knew that she trusted her now, completely. You couldn't give care and energy out like that if even the smallest amount of doubt held you back. Carmilla had been so afraid that she wouldn't believe what had happened. A shiver passed down Carmilla's spine as she remembered that Laura had thought she was to blame for her mother's death.

Anyway, that was in the past now. Perhaps for once in her life she would be able to forget about things that had already happened, and live in the moment.

Laura looked like she'd fallen asleep. Her warm breath tickled Carmilla's arm. It was pretty much dark now, it didn't make sense to walk any further.

Finding a spot beneath a large oak, Carmilla lowered Laura to the ground. The girl shivered, but didn't wake. Carmilla swiftly changed into Mica and circled Laura, enveloping the tiny human in dark fur.

Laura was fast asleep. Carmilla could feel her heat radiating outwards. Through the trees the stars were shining. Since she wouldn't let herself sleep, Carmilla spent most of the night staring up at them. She tracked the different star systems as they moved across the sky. They were the one thing that stayed the same, even in a world that seemed to be changing so fast. 

It seemed like now the world was changing faster than ever. Carmilla looked back down to earth to the reason for her change. It hadn't even been a year since Laura had crashed into her life. On that first day, she had been nothing more than a stray cat to Laura, nothing more than a homeless drunk the next. Back then, Carmilla had had a pretty low opinion of Laura too. How had all of that changed? 

Perhaps Carmilla had only begun to see who Laura really was when she found out that she was Emma's daughter, but that was because it had made her stop and take a closer look. Carmilla wasn't sure at which point she'd started falling for Laura Hollis. Whenever it was, she was pretty sure that she'd fallen enough to never be able to get up again.

Already, Carmilla was denying the truth that her time with Laura would slip away quickly, like sand between fingers. Immortality had always made her feel like she had all the time in the world, but Carmilla was aware that, for a while at least, that was no longer true. 

As such Carmilla knew that she had to make time count. Her head spun with her thoughts all night. As the sun rose, Carmilla finally allowed herself to follow Laura down into sleep. 

-

Before Carmilla had even opened her eyes, she was aware of the forest around her. Her feline ears picked up a small rabbit, scraping in the bushes only a few meters away. It'd make an easy breakfast, but she was too comfy to move. 

Then Carmilla noticed a second thing. Laura was no longer there. Instantly alert, she rose her head. Mica stood and morphed back into human form. 

'Laura?' No answer.

Carmilla began to worry that something else had happened to her. There was only one set of tracks leading off from the tree. At least she hadn't been taken.

Dropping to her heels, Carmilla placed a finger inside the imprint that Laura's boot had left in the dirt. Pressing her knees, she rose again and started marching. 

Within a matter of minutes Carmilla could hear someone ahead, rustling in the bushes. She caught a glimpse of brown hair amongst the leaves and breathed out. 

Carmilla paused for a second, before stepping forwards more stealthily. Laura was picking something from the bushes, and placing it in the concave of a jumper tied around her waist. She smiled in the sun. A heaviness pressed on Carmilla's chest. She knew that it would destroy her if this girl did not share her feelings.

And why should she? Carmilla thought about it. There was nothing she had to offer. A sad backstory and a heck of a load of issues. Not exactly girlfriend material. 

Carmilla shook her head at herself. What was she trying to achieve here. She stepped back, turning and walking.

A twig snapped.

Camilla froze. A voice behind her.

'Carmilla?'

Carmilla slowly turned back around. Laura had her head on the side, stuck halfway between a smile and confusion. Raising one hand from deep within her pockets, Carmilla waved. 

Laura beamed and beckoned her over. How could she resist. Carmilla ambled over. She kept a few meters away, and leant on a tree. Camilla feigned finding interest in its bark, picking at the wood with her nail.

'Thought I'd find us breakfast.' Laura said, moving back to plucking the berries away from the plant. 'You looked like you needed the sleep.'

Carmilla nodded. Laura strode over, holding out the berries in her jumper.

'Want one?'

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. 'Your jumper is going to be so stained.'

'It's yours.' Laura giggled at Carmilla's shocked look.

'Oh thanks. These berries better be good.' Carmilla smiled at Laura before reaching down, grabbing a handful and putting them in her mouth.

Her smile held for a moment before wavering. A familiar sweet, sour taste filled her mouth. Carmilla quickly turned and spat the berries out.

'Are you trying to poison me?'

Laura laughed. 'Are vampire's allergic to fruit?'

Carmilla looked up at Laura. 'Sunshine. That's nightshade. You know, the really deadly one?'

Laura's face dropped. 

'Oh my god.'

'Glad I spat them out. You do know it only takes two to finish off a human?'

Laura's face was slowly paling to a light shade of green. A thin sweat was forming on her forehead. A horrible thought occurred to Carmilla.

'Laura... Please don't say you've been eating them.'

'I thought they were safe...'

Carmilla rushed forwards and shook her shoulders.

'Laura, how many did you take?'

A line of water clung around the base of her eyelids. She shook her head.

'None. I was waiting for you to have them with me. I could have killed you. I almost ate them myself.'

A reluctant hope flooded through Carmilla's system. She wanted to make sure before she gave way to relief.

'You didn't though? You didn't eat any?'

Laura shook her head. 'No. But you did.'

Carmilla breathed out, laughing. She patted Laura on the shoulder. The poor girl looked distraught.

'It's fine. I'll survive. Next time can you let me fix breakfast though?'

Laura managed a small laugh. 'Sure.'

Carmilla knew that the best remedy would be to get her mind off of it. 

'Let's get going. Theres somewhere I want you to see.'

Without another word, Carmilla changed to Mica and made Laura get on. As soon as she felt that Laura had got a good grip in her fur, Mica started running.

Sprinting full pace didn't feel tiring with Laura there, holding her breath, then laughing with excitement and fear. Except for breaks to eat, Carmilla didn't stop running until late into the night. She was determined to make it to their destination before the next day. When Laura started getting tired, Carmilla became human again and carried her.

It was only when they rose over that final hill, that Carmilla allowed herself to stop. It had been a while since the last time she'd been here.

Carmilla looked out across to where the expanse of sand met the edge of the water. She breathed in deeply. Forest air was good, but it didn't beat sea air.

All of the night sky was reflected in the black ocean. The reflection of the moon wavered, broken by countless tiny ripples traveling in off of the horizon. 

The midnight landscape was breathtaking, but Carmilla barely noticed it. Her mind was flooded with memories of sunshine. Her mind flashed back through images of the beach.

This was where she had last found happiness, when they had been here together, all of those years ago. This is where she'd lost it too. Perhaps it would still be lying around, lurking beneath the sand, or hiding in the water. 

This was a good place to start again. Carmilla had decided. She had spent too much time dwelling on her past, it was time to look towards the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this chapter being a day late and somewhat short, it's just been exams week. Story will become a little more interesting again soon :)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 29th January.


	28. Chapter 28

Laura drifted in and out of sleep just like the waves rolling in and out of the shore. She was aware of the subtle smell of salt and seaweed drifting over her in the warm evening air. At one point she felt herself leave the security of strong arms, no longer carried, but lowered softly to the floor. Laura could feel cool grains of sand between the grass and her fingertips. Hazily she opened her eyes. The next day she would be unsure whether her midnight vision had merely been a dream. Carmilla was stood on the edge of the hill, staring out at the sea. All of the moon and starlight seemed to be absorbed and emanate from her skin. Upon her face was a strange fusion of sadness, relief and hope.

The long dune grass rippled around her knees, and a calm wind lifted and released the ends of her hair. In her liminal state of sleep, Laura thought she must be in the presence of some goddess. The softness of the moonlit scene drew her back into slumber, where she dreamt she lay upon a boat as it slowly carried her across a great mystical ocean.

\---

Laura awoke to the distant hum of waves breaking against the rock. She was aware of being enveloped by a pocket of warm air and rough woven material. When she tried to move, her whole sense of balance shifted as the material began to swing. Laura sat up straight and almost fell out of the hammock. Gripping the edges of the cloth, she laughed as she struggled to regain her balance.

Around her, thin beams of intense sunlight broke through slats of weather worn wood. It appeared as if she had woken up in a beach hut of sorts. Conscious of the absence of her companion, Laura stretched before unsteadily lowering herself down from the hammock. 

The boards felt warm beneath her feet. When Laura pulled back the ragged curtain that hung over the door she was temporarily blinded. Blinking, Laura stumbled out into the morning sun whilst using an arm to shield her face.

Slowly her vision came back to her. Carmilla was lazed next to a small fire, reading. She lifted her sunglasses momentarily to check on the food frying in the pan and turn it, before digging her nose back into the book. 

Carmilla was gently tapping the sand with her foot in time to a tune she was humming. It was cute. She obviously hadn't noticed that Laura had woken, or she would have been mortified to have been found in such a state. Laura was tempted not to break the silence, to just stand there and watch the dark haired girl, but she was hungry and the food looked ready. 

'Nice tune.' Laura stated, plumping herself down on the sand next to Carmilla. The girl was startled, but quickly regained her cool, putting her book down slowly before looking over her sunglasses at Laura.

'I was trying to guess when you'd wake up. Seems I was right, breakfast is ready.'

Carmilla stood and walked into the hut. Laura wondered why she'd gone, before she reemerged carrying two plates and forks.

Laura looked out across the beach. They were the only people on it's wide expanse. The sea glittered between the blue in the warm Mediterranean sun.

'Where exactly are we?' Laura asked as Carmilla began to pile the bacon and eggs onto the plate.

'Northern Italy, that's the Adriatic.'

'It's beautiful. You carried me all the way to Italy? How are you not dead?'

'Actually, technically creampuff, I am. Here isn't so far off from Austria anyway, you can make it from Silas and back in a day by car.'

Carmilla handed Laura her plate. As usual she was full of questions, but Laura decided to put them off until after she'd eaten.

You could already tell that it was going to be a hot day. Laura wished that she had sunglasses with her. She presumed that Carmilla must have left at some point earlier in the morning to pick up the ingredients for breakfast. She hadn't had sunglasses or a book with her earlier.

'Where did you get all this?' Laura asked, pointing to her half finished plate.

Carmilla looked up and raised an eyebrow. 'A shop, like normal people do.' She shrugged and went back to her food. 'Unlike you I don't just pick up the nearest thing that looks edible and decide it's breakfast.'

'Hey,' Laura complained, pushing Carmilla's shoulder. Carmilla smirked. 'I wasn't just picking random berries. I saw a rabbit eating them and assumed that meant that they weren't poisonous.'

'Afraid not. Animals have different systems to ours.'

Laura shook her head. 'Anyway. That's not what I meant by the question. I wanted to know where the shop was, I could do with some suncream if it's going to be this hot all day.'

Carmilla reached into a blue and white striped plastic bag behind her back and pulled out a bottle.

'Figured that you're one of those good girls who always wears suncream.'

'You probably need it more than me,' Laura jibed. 'Look at the colour of your skin. You'll be red as a tomato by the end of the day if you don't wear any.'

'Perhaps.' Carmilla grumbled.

Laura sighed in satisfaction. 'It's such good weather. I'm going for a swim once I finish this.'

'Not too soon,' Carmilla warned. 'I don't want to have to dive in and rescue you.'

Laura chuckled and lay back onto the sand. The sun shone red and orange through her eyelids. When she flickered her eyes open just a little, she could see a sliver of the blue cloudless sky. 

'Now I feel like it's summer,' Laura purred in satisfaction.

Somewhere in the distance a seagull was calling as it drifted on the breeze. When Laura brushed her fingertips across the sand it burnt. She dug her fingers in to where the sand was cooler and mixed it with the top stuff. 

'It's sooo nice.' Laura smiled. 'I don't understand why there isn't more people here.'

Laura opened her eyes to see Carmilla looking sheepish. She sat up straight. Carmilla was hiding something. 'What?' Laura prodded.

'Well, people used to come here, a long time ago, but I managed to... dissuade them...'

'Wow. You must have done something pretty awful to keep people away from somewhere as beautiful as here.'

Carmilla shrugged. 'Comes with the territory of being a monster. Besides I like this beach.'

'Centuries old vampire commits mass homicide for a pretty beach. Good story,' Laura chuckled.

'I have no regrets. Humans would have wreaked havoc on this coastline.'

Laura couldn't help but nod in agreement. It was time for a swim. She stood and walked over to the hut. She paused by the door. 'By the way... Carmilla...'

'Bag on the chair. Pretty sure it's your size.'

Sure enough, inside Laura found a navy blue bikini. She pulled the tags off before putting it on. 

Laura returned out to Carmilla.

'You coming?' she asked, jerking a thumb backwards towards the water.

'You go.' Carmilla smiled. 'I'll see you in a bit.'

As Laura turned to run towards the water, she could see Carmilla shaking her head at her in condescension. Laura didn't care that she was acting like an excited small child, she picked up her heels and sprinted to the edge of the sea. 

The contrast of the hot day and the cool water made her squeal. Laura splashed deeper into the blue, until at last dunking herself underwater and swimming out from the shore. 

The water was unbelievably clear. Laura looked down to where her feel were treading water beneath her. Some metres further down, Laura could see a red rock lying in the pale sand. She took a breath before diving down. 

Laura could feel the pressure building inside her head when she reached the seabed. It had been a while since she'd last swam in the sea rather than pools. Five fingers confidently reached out and grabbed the rock before bringing it to the surface.

Over on the beach Carmilla was looking worried. Laura waved the rock at her and Carmilla rolled her eyes, returning to her apparently absorbing volume of philosophy. Laura darted back under, looking for the next thing to hunt out.

This game of fetch was repeated by Laura a number of times. At one point she found a small shoal of fish which she swam after for a short while. When she got tired, Laura rose to the surface and lay floating on her back.

Laura shut her eyes, letting herself feel the tug and pull of the water as waves pushed in towards the shore. She could taste the salty seawater on her lips. The water was cool, but the sun here on the surface heated her. It was the perfect balance. Laura wished that Carmilla would come in too.

Straightening up in the water, Laura began waving and calling. Carmilla's head flicked up from her pages. They were at first concerned, but soon smoothed into a smile. At some point she must have changed into her bikini, though she was wearing a loose fitting shirt over it. She rose from her position and strode down to the water's edge, her feet sinking into the sand with every step.

Laura smiled. 'Come in!' She yelled excitedly.

Carmilla stopped just before the wet sand. Laura could see her shake her head. Swimming further into the shallows, Laura stood and ran over to her. The feeling of regained gravity weighed her down. 

'Please? It's gorgeous. You're really missing out.' Laura splashed forwards and grabbed Carmilla's hand. She tried to guide her in, but the girl didn't move. Laura turned back, panting lightly.

'You enjoy it,' Carmilla said. 'I'm not so much a water person.'

'You can't swim?'

'Of course I can swim,' Carmilla snapped. She looked offended. 'I just don't like the water.'

Laura laughed. 'Is this a cat thing? Wait... Is this why you kicked off when I was swimming in the lake?'

'Of course it's not a cat thing. I used to love swimming. I just don't anymore.'

Laura wanted to continue persuading Carmilla, but she searched her eyes. Carmilla really was cut up about not being able to go in the water. 

'You carry on swimming cupcake. I'll be fine up here.'

Laura nodded, letting go of Carmilla's hand. She returned to the water. Carmilla stood on the water's edge for a short while, before slowly turning and walking back up the beach. 

If she hadn't felt Carmilla's absence before, Laura certainly felt it now. Diving for rocks felt childish and futile, floating on the surface just felt boring. She could just about see Carmilla with her nose in a book again. Every so often she'd look up and glance over towards the water. 

Laura sank to the seabed. She let herself hover, centimetres above the sand. She had always enjoyed doing this, ever since she was a young child. It was relaxing, feeling the water's gentle pressure on the sides of her body and watching her hair swirl around her, caught in slow motion. The moment that her chest began to protest would always eventually set in, and she'd have to rise up through the crystal liquid, leaving the water's dappled shade for the full force of the sun.

Although the water was refreshing, Laura had been swimming for a while. Perhaps it was time to go back into the shore. Carmilla was still sat on the beach, but now her book was closed beside her, and she was staring out at the water. Laura thought for a moment that she was frozen in thought, but then she stood up.

Halfway down to the water Carmilla stopped and glanced towards the hut. When she looked back to the water Laura waved and she began to walk again. Once again Laura splashed in to meet Carmilla at the border of the sea.

'Coming in?' Laura asked. 

'I think I might this time.' Carmilla replied. She was still looking out at the water, a look of determination in her eyes. Her eyes moved and met with Laura's smile, and she mustered up a smile in reply. 'Lets do this,' Carmilla stated, before stepping forwards to where Laura was ankle deep.

'You coming in fully?' Laura asked.

'I think so,' Carmilla nodded.

'May want to leave that shirt on the side then.' Laura pointed to the article of clothing with her eyes.

'I don't think I need to.' Carmilla ventured.  
Laura gave her an odd look. 'It'll get wet, plus it'll drag you down. If you're worried about burning, you should have put the suncream on like I told you.'

Carmilla shook her head. 'I'm not worried about that.' She shrugged. 'I guess you're right about the first part though.'

From the top down she undid the buttons, then rolled the shirt into a ball. The front of Carmilla's body was flawless, but as she turned to place the shirt on the beach Laura noticed that there was something wrong with her back. Harsh brown lines ran across the otherwise smooth white skin. Laura opened her mouth, then stopped, trying to look unchanged as Carmilla turned back around.

Carmilla walked over to where Laura was stood. Laura was concentrating on appearing not to have noticed anything, but she could feel her cheeks and the tips of her ears slowly burning up. Carmilla looked into her eyes, but Laura couldn't meet her gaze.

'I see you noticed the scars.' Carmilla said blandly.

Laura struggled for words. 'I didn't mean to... I mean, I didn't know they were there.'

Carmilla lifted a corner of her mouth in a smile. 'It's okay. I'm not blaming you. They're old wounds, they can't hurt me anymore.' 

Laura turned Carmilla to her side and gently traced a finger along one of the lines. The scarred tissue felt rougher and bumpier than the silk like skin to either side.

'What happened? Who did this to you?' Laura queried.

'I didn't live up to expectations. Suffice to say my mother had interesting concepts on discipline.'

'I'm sorry.'

Carmilla shrugged. 'It not your fault. It happened a long time ago. Anyway, let's forget about all that. Shall we swim?'

Carmilla gave a reassuring smile and Laura felt the nervous tension inside her chest disappear. She nodded, grabbing Carmilla's hand and pulling her gently towards the water. The waves were tiny, but Carmilla eyed them with suspicion. It occoured to Laura that Carmilla's hesitation around water might have had something to do with her mother's so called discipline.

Laura laughed as the cool water tickled her ankles. Carmilla followed her deeper and deeper without hesitation. Within no time, they were up to their waists. Laura glanced at Carmilla. She seemed to be fairly comfortable. Swiftly breaking the connection between their hands, Laura dipped under the water and swum forwards. She knew that Carmilla could be pushed a little. 

Just as she'd expected, Carmilla picked up on the competition and began to wade faster after her. Laura swirled onto her back and chuckled whilst propelling herself away, waving mockingly. Laura saw Carmilla's eyes flash with the chase. She had instantly put her hands together, and pushed herself away from the seabed, gracefully switching into front crawl. It was obvious that Carmilla was a excellent swimmer.

Laura turned back onto her front, swimming away as fast as she could. It was futile. Within moments Laura felt a firm hand wrap around her ankle. She had just about enough time to yelp before the noise turned to bubbles as she was dragged under.

The strong arms wrapped around her. Laura struggled but it was no use, she couldn't escape the grip. She stopped moving and Carmilla released slightly. Laura revolved inside Carmilla's arms to face her. 

Underwater, Carmilla's hair billowed about her. It brought Laura back to a dream which she had forgotten long before. Laura was aware of the warmth of Carmilla's body against hers, and the silky smoothness of her skin where they touched. Had it been Carmilla she had seen before? Where was the darkness she had been enveloped in? All Laura could see now was light.

Once again, Laura could feel the drag in her lungs, begging her to return to the surface. Laura cursed. She'd have to obey. Reluctantly, Laura released herself from Carmilla's grip and rose to where she could breathe again.

Carmilla joined her on the surface moments later.

Laura began to tread water. 

'Not so bad is it?' Laura beamed.

Carmilla nodded in assent. 'It's better when you're in. It's not as cold as I thought it would be either.'

Laura lay back on the water to catch her breath. The cloudless blue filled her vision. She heard Carmilla float next to her. A hand slipped into hers. Laura smiled up at the sky.

'You're a pretty good swimmer.' Laura begun.

'Same goes for you,' came the reply. 

'I used to love coming to the sea. Dad never came with me, but he always said it was important.'

'Makes sense.' Carmilla said. 'It was how she wanted you to remember her.'

'My Mum?'

'Yeah. It's why she took you there for the first time. It was her gift to you.'

Laura nodded. For once she felt no bitterness or emptiness in her heart at the mention of her mother. Instead it was replaced by a firm warmth. She knew she was loved. Absence was of no concequence, its force trancended time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the warmth of this chapter pulled you out of this long winter :) Writing this made me desperate for it to be Summer again.
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 12th Febuary.


	29. Chapter 29

Laura wanted to lie like that forever, carried by crystal waves with the heat of the sun on her face and her hand in Carmilla's. Every so often Laura would breathe out just enough for her body to begin to sink. The cool water would roll over her stomach then off again when she breathed back in. 

Fingers wiggled in hers and Laura heard Carmilla make a contented noise. Laura could feel the edges of her mouth curl into a smile. With the original doubts Carmilla had had over the water, Laura was glad that she seemed to be enjoying it. This was probably good for her.

A loud grumble disrupted the tranquility, which Laura soon realised emanated from her own stomach. 

'Lunchtime?' Carmilla asked.

'I don't want to move,' Laura complained. 'It's so nice here. I love it.'

'More than food? That's a first,' Carmilla joked, before removing her hand and moving up straight. 'Come on, the water will still be waiting for us afterwards,' she added.

Laura could feel the cold absence in her hand of where Carmilla's had been resting. The perfection of the scene was disrupted. She pulled herself upright, opening her eyes again to the day. 

Side by side they pulled themselves back in towards the shore. Laura felt heavy as she stood on land again, no longer lifted by the sea. The heat of the sun was pleasant on her back, drops of cool water providing a barrier against its intensity.

At the top of the beach Carmilla disappeared into the hut. When she reemerged, she'd wrapped a towel around her waist and was holding another which she threw to Laura. Laura used it to dry her dripping hair, before stretching it across the sand and lying down.

Once the sun had dried the last reminants of water off of her skin, Laura began to feel the heat of midday. It was far too hot to be sitting outside. She stood and retreated into the shade of the hut where she could hear Carmilla rummaging through her earlier purchases. 

Laura moved the door's ragged curtain to the side and stepped into the darkness. It took a second for her eyes to adjust. 

'Escaping the sun? Good idea. I think we'll eat in here,' Carmilla said from the side of the room.

Laura spied a small wooden crate that looked like it'd make a good seat and sat down. Carmilla sat in the center of the hammock and passed Laura some food. For lunch, they enjoyed crispy white bread with tomatoes and cheese. Carmilla had also bought some delicious olives.

'Don't have any ice cream do you?' Laura asked when she'd finished. Carmilla smiled.

'In this heat? Surprisingly, no.' 

Laura shrugged her shoulders. 'It was worth the ask. You seem to have brought half the shop with you.'

'I know you get hungry. Just wanted to make sure you have all you need.'

Laura eyed the three large bags of food in the corner. 'I can see that.'

'If you want more of anything, help yourself. There should be some sweeter stuff in there if you're wanting pudding.'  
'I'm fine.' Laura replied, stretching back and rubbing her stomach. 'I'm just about the right level of full.'

The sun shone lazily through slats in the wood, and dust danced in its beams. The gentle sound of waves against the sand was soporific. The hut's cool respite from the midday sun was making Laura feel drowsy. She could see that Carmilla was settling down for a siesta too, she'd stretched out across the hammock and was subtly rocking herself.

Laura moved down to lie on the floor, using a towel as a pillow. Carmilla poked her head over the side of the hammock. 'What're you doing down there?' She asked, before half sitting up. 'You take the hammock.'

Shaking her head, Laura replied. 'No, you stay there, I'm happy here.' Laura would have been quite contented, but she could tell that Carmilla was about to get up. 'Tell you what,' Laura said, standing. 'We can just share it.'

The wooden boards creaked under her weight as she moved to where the other girl was lying. When Laura grasped the edge of the material it swung. At first she thought there was a way of getting in gracefully, but she soon realised she'd just have to go for it. Laura managed to knock all of the air out of Carmilla with the effort.

'Want to be a bit more careful?' Carmilla asked.

'Sorry!' Laura replied quickly, though she wasn't worried that Carmilla was annoyed. The girl had already snaked an arm around her waist and pulled Laura into herself. They were cocooned inside the fabric. Laura closed her eyes, enjoying the semi darkness and warmth of Carmilla's body against hers.

Laura could hear Carmilla's slow breaths behind her. She was pretty sure that Carmilla had fallen asleep. Carmilla wriggled. Laura gulped. She realised that they hadn't changed out of their bikinis. Bare skin rubbed against hers. Laura could feel her cheeks burning up. She shook her head. This was fine, Carmilla just saw her as a friend. She could keep it as that. She just needed to concentrate. 

A small sigh emanated from behind her. Carmilla's fingers spread and brushed against her stomach. She was actually asleep, right? Laura tried turning her head backwards, but it was no good, she couldn't turn fully.

'Carmilla?' She whispered. 

No reply came. She probably was just asleep. Laura tried to sleep too, but now she was wide awake. Carmilla's warm breaths tickled the back of her neck just behind her ear. Laura noticed that her flesh was warm where it touched hers. It came back to Laura that Carmilla was a vampire. Didn't that mean she should be cold or something? And why was she needing to breathe if she was dead already?

There was so many things she wanted to know. But for once, Laura realised that she didnt mind leaving her enquiries to a later date. Right now she was just happy to get to know Carmilla as a person.

Curiosity about the place they had travelled to grew in Laura's mind. The day wouldn't last forever. No longer tired, she was tempted to go for an explore of the coastline. Laura began to ease herself out of Carmilla's embrace, but the hammock began to swing. It quickly became apparent that she wouldn't be able to escape without waking the other girl.

Carmilla yawned, lazily opening one eye.   
'Going for a wander?' She asked. Laura nodded, finally hoisting herself over the edge of the material and jumping down. She turned back to Carmilla, who was still lying at just about her shoulder height.

'Just thought I'd make use of such a beautiful day.'

'Laura. Every day is beautiful here.'

'I know,' Laura replied, leaning on the edge of the fabric and wrapping one of Carmilla's curls lightly around her finger. 'But, we will have to go back eventually. I want to make use of our time here.'

'I guess so.' Carmilla opened both eyes and looked into Laura's. They were the colour of melted dark chocolate. Laura's hand froze in her hair. She gulped before quickly turning and looking around for her shoes. 

Laura put some shorts on too, and grabbed a bottle of water. She had been expecting to make a solitary journey, but Carmilla soon roused herself and found some clothes too.

The heat hit them as soon as they stepped back outside. Carmilla instantly threw on her pair of sunglasses and Laura wished that she'd brought some too.

Up on the sand dunes the wind was slightly stronger. A path winded upwards, across the soft sand to scraggy rock. Laura absentmindedly brushed her hand though the long grasses as she walked.

Carmilla jogged to her side and took her hand. Laura turned to her in surprise and beamed. Carmilla faltered. 'Some of the grasses will cut if you do that.' She kept a straight face and looked ahead. 'I'm just helping you out.'

'Sure.' Laura replied. She would have raised an eyebrow, as Carmilla was prone to do, if she could. Laura kept ahold of the hand. Carmilla didn't seem to mind, she moved to Laura's side and matched her pace. 

When they got to the top, Laura wandered over to the edge of the cliff. It wasn't a complete drop, but it still made her feel dizzy as she looked down the steep rocky incline to the splashing waves below. 'The sea is so incredibly beautiful,' Laura remarked, looking out and then back across to the beach.

'It's not the only thing.' Carmilla mumbled. Laura flicked her head towards her. She thought she must have misheard. Or she was getting the wrong end of the stick.

'Yeah, the landscape is amazing too.' She nodded. 'And the weather.'

Carmilla turned to Laura. 'I didn't mean either of them.' 

'Oh?' 

Carmilla shook her head. 'I've seen something far more beautiful.'

Now Laura was intrigued. 'What?'

'It's a secret,' Carmilla replied, turning and sweeping down the path that led away from the beach. She called back, 'I know how you love secrets.'

'I don't love secrets,' Laura grumbled, jogging after her. 'It's uncovering the truth that I enjoy.'

Soon the path began to wind downwards again. It traveled down into a series of rockpools that lined the water's edge. Laura got excited, she hadn't been rockpooling since she was a kid. 'I'm going to try catch something,' she told Carmilla as she began scrambling over rocks and staring into pools.

'You don't even have a net,' Carmilla said, remaining on the flatter ground. 

'Don't need one.' Laura called back. She was already out of sight. Carmilla sighed, sitting on a nearby rock.

Meanwhile, Laura was searching every pool that she could find. There were many interesting coloured seaweeds and shells, but any animal life was too fast to even get a good look at. Laura knew you had to be careful not to let your shadow fall over the water because it would make the fish notice you were there.

Carmilla's head flicked up as she saw Laura running back over the rocks shouting. Laura was holding something in her hand. 

'Don't run on the rocks,' Carmilla began. 'You'll...' Laura's foot caught under a stone and she tumbled forwards. Carmilla quickly darted forwards and caught her. '...fall,' Carmilla uttered, looking down at the girl who had stumbled into her arms. 

Laura was embarrassed. She looked meekly up at Carmilla who was still holding her body weight. 'I found a fish,' she said, holding up a closed fist. Carmilla put Laura back fully onto her feet again, but didn't let go. One arm was wrapped around her waist, and the other rested on her hip. Carmilla was staring at her with the weirdest expression. 

Laura began to feel lost in her gaze. For a moment she thought that Carmilla was going to lean in and kiss her. Laura laughed off the possibility in her head, but then she realised that she wanted it. Her eyes flicked down Carmilla's face and she felt an ache inside her chest. Her lips were slightly parted. Laura was instantly aware of her own shallow breathing. This was far too long to be staring at each other this close for.

A million questions rushed through Laura's mind, but then all she was aware of was Carmilla. Her embrace. The way her eyes seemed to ask for something that Laura wanted too. Laura felt herself drawn forwards, hypnotised, but then something wriggled inside her closed fingers.

'Oh god. The fish!'

Laura leapt backwards, finding the nearest pool and plunging the little creature deep into it. She saw a flash of green before it darted under a rock. Laura felt crushed. She stood and turned back around.

'You never even saw it.' Laura frowned at the ground.

Carmilla looked incredulous. 'How the hell did you even catch a fish with your hands?'

Laura panicked that Carmilla might think she was lying about the fish. That she had used it as an escape route. 'There was a fish! Honest!' She blurted out.

Carmilla chuckled. 'I'm not doubting you. I'm just amazed.'

Laura hopped over, cheered up again by managing to impress Carmilla. 'I just held my hand in the water for a long time. It was curious so it came over to me. I waited for a while until it hovered over my palm, then I snatched my hand up.'

Laura stood beaming at Carmilla, then turned back to the pools in the rock. From then on she didn't have any more luck with catching fish, but she did find a number of crabs and two starfish. 

The afternoon sun was pleasant on her skin. After she was weary of the rockpools, they wove their way back over to the beach. Carmilla lazed on the beach reading a novel, whilst Laura went for another dip in the sea. 

She only came back in again when the sun was beginning to set. As Laura walked up the beach she could see that Carmilla had made a small fire which she was using as a barbecue.

'Thought you might be hungry after all that swimming,' Carmilla said without looking up.

Laura plumped herself down on the sand next to her. They didn't speak much as they ate, just sat and watched as the sun set over the sea. The sky was a patchwork of reds, pinks and oranges, reflected in the molten sea. 

A chill entered the air and Laura shuffled closer to Carmilla, enjoying her warmth. When night set in they watched the fire as it crackled and spat, rolling off long flames of light into the darkness.

Carmilla poked the fire with a piece of driftwood, before adding it to the flames. She pulled the blanket back around themselves. Laura lifted her head from Carmilla's shoulder and spoke, still watching the flames.

'I never used to like the night. It always felt dangerous, like there was something else out there; like some evil was veiled in its darkness. It was fine to watch it from afar, see the stars through telescopes, look into the garden through my window, but I preferred day, when the sun was hot and everything was clear. 

But now I've learnt that I like the night, and I don't understand how I didn't realise that all along. It's like you said earlier, I like secrets. I never thought so since I always wanted to break them, to find out the truth. But I love mystery. I love never knowing what lurks around the corner. I always thought of the night as a wild, untameable beast. But now, sitting here in the darkness, I realise how quiet the night is too. It's really beautiful, in its own way.'

'I used to like the night's unpredictability,' Carmilla replied. 'There was this feeling that things were hiding in the darkness, and I could hide too if I wanted. It thrilled me, once.' Laura felt her shrug. 'Now, I don't mind it I guess, but don't trust it.'

'Is that why you can't sleep at night?' Laura asked. She bit her tongue. Unthinkingly she had stepped into unstable territory.

Carmilla didn't seem to mind the question. 'In a way,' she replied. 'Though it all has a lot to do with the past. Not the past with your mother, the one long before.'

'The one with your mother?'

'Exactly,' she nodded. 'Though I keep thinking about the last time I came to this beach. It was with you, your Dad and Emma, before she got ill.'

Laura couldn't believe she hadn't realised. 'That was this beach?'

Carmilla nodded. 'It was my favourite place in the world. We came down most summers. I've only just felt strong enough to come back here.'

'Why now?'

'Isn't it obvious?'

Laura didn't think it was. There was silence a moment before Carmilla sighed and spoke again,

'Because of you. I wanted to show you somewhere special. Somewhere that really means something, not just to me, but to both of us. And I was wanting to concentrate on the now, on us, but I keep thinking back to that day and how she used up her last shreds of strength on making us happy.'

Laura turned back to Carmilla and enveloped her in her embrace. She stroked the back of her hair. 

'You know you don't need to forget the past to concentrate on the now Carmilla,' Laura said softly as she held her. 'You accept it and come to peace with what happened.'

'But what if I was to blame?' Carmilla asked. 'I knew she was too weak to come here, but I let her anyway.'

Laura pulled back and looked her in the eyes. 'You can never blame yourself for what happened. There was nothing anyone could have done. I'm just so sorry that I ever accused you, I know how much you loved her.'

'She was the best friend I ever had. But she left me you, and that's the best gift she could have ever given.'

Laura blushed. 'Hardly.'

Carmilla shook her head. She looked deadly serious. 'Emma may have been my best friend, but you, Laura, are so much more to me.'

Laura smiled and turned away towards the fire.

'I don't understand,' Carmilla uttered.

'What?' Laura asked. 

'How you capture so much of the sun's brilliance in your eyes.'

Laura could feel her heart jump in her chest. She would have found the line cheesy if she didn't know that Carmilla found every word true.

They sat there for a while longer, watching the fire, until Laura yawned. When she lay down, Carmilla lay next to her. It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep. Carmilla intended to lie next to her all evening, to count the stars and carry her into the beach hut before morning light. 

But the warmth that the girl beneath her arm exuded made Carmilla forget that it was even night. Weary and tired, Carmilla felt at peace. She was carried away by waves of sleep. Her dreams remained uninterrupted. It may as well have been day for all of the sunshine which Carmilla felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for sticking with the story so far! Let me know what you think, or ask me anything in the comments below :)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 27th Febuary


	30. Chapter 30

Laura quickly settled into life at the beach. Every morning after she'd woken up she'd go down to the water and swim. By the time she came back in again, Carmilla would have cooked some form of breakfast and collected water and firewood.

After they'd finished eating Carmilla would read, and Laura would wander out from the beach to explore the area. Over the course of the week Carmilla had become noticeably warmer. It was as if she'd shrugged off the cloud of darkness that hung over her around Silas and Karnverloren. Only once or twice during the nights had Laura awoken to find Carmilla shaking or groaning, caught within some nightmare. It seemed to relieve her when Laura pulled her closer, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear.

Laura was thinking of all this as she lay on the floor of the hut. Carmilla was sleeping just a little way to her left. Laura rolled onto her back. She could feel small grains of sand on the rough wooden boards scratch across her skin.

She looked at the hammock hanging only just above them and had to stifle her laugh. They were both far too stubborn. Unlike during the cold nights when it was quite nice to share a hammock, during the day it was far too hot. However, neither girl would accept sleeping in the hammock whilst the other was on the rough floor, so they both opted to forsake comfort. 

As far as she had seen, Carmilla never had nightmares when she slept during the day. Laura was curious. Questions of what had happened to make Carmilla so afraid of water and the dark repeated themselves in her mind. She couldn't help but feel that there was still some mystery behind the girl that hadn't yet revealed itself.

Still, the scars on her back were a clue to the kind of past which Carmilla suffered. Laura turned an eye to where Carmilla was lying on her side. You could just about see their dark outlines through the thin cotton shirt she was wearing. Laura didn't blame Carmilla for wanting to cover them up, even if now they both knew they were there.

Laura turned to her side again and reached a hand forwards. The tips of her fingers grazed the white material, trailing up to Carmilla's hair. A strong desire arose in Laura to drag her hands through those luscious dark curls. Carmilla yawned and stretched her arms upwards and Laura's hand flicked back.

Carmilla rolled towards Laura to face her and opened her eyes. Carmilla's nose was millimetres from her own. Laura's eyes were wide in shock, her hand still raised. Carmilla's eyes were shocked too, but then they relaxed into something more mischievous.

'Cupcake?'

Laura was frozen. Carmilla's eyes were hypnotic. This was the closest Laura had ever been to them. She could see the detail in her pupil. The fibres of brown and black. The eyes flicked down to Laura's hand, and then slowly grazed their way back up Laura's body.

'You okay there?' Carmilla asked, shuffling in a little closer.

Laura still couldn't move. She managed to eek out an 'uh huh', and half a nod.

'Good.' Carmilla moved her hand into Laura's and got to her feet, pulling Laura up after her. She released the hand and walked out the door calling back, 'I'm going in, you coming?'

Laura rushed to change into her swimming costume, but she knew that Carmilla wouldn't touch the water without her being there. The sunlight hit her with a wall of blindness as she hurried outside.

Her eyes adjusted. Carmilla was by the water's edge, her toes just grazing the water line. Laura jogged over. They went in every afternoon, Carmilla put on a brave face, but Laura could always tell she was nervous before going in.

Laura ran into the water. She waded up to her knees before turning and beckoning Carmilla to follow. As she turned back to the horizon, she heard Carmilla step in and wade over to her. They swam for a while, Carmilla easily keeping up with Laura's front crawl. She kept her shirt on, but Laura didn't protest. Carmilla was evidently a strong enough swimmer for it not to matter.

Once she was tired, Laura rolled onto her back and floated. As usual, Carmilla lay next to her and held her hand to keep from drifting apart.

'What's the longest distance you've swam?' Laura asked, curious. Carmilla never seemed to tire when she swam. She never seemed to tire in any physical activity really. 

'Quite far probably,' Carmilla replied. 'I once had to swim the English Channel to escape some nasty business in France.'

'Seriously?' Laura asked, amazed.

'Yup,' Carmilla chuckled. 'It was stormy too. I missed the ferry and didn't have time to wait for the next. The wind dragged me off course and I ended up going the long way across.'

'Wow. I swim, but the furthest I've done is the length of Silas lake and back. I was tired enough, and that was only about two miles in good weather.'

'Well you are at a disadvantage.'

'Because I'm short or because I'm human?' Laura replied indignantly.

Carmilla yawned. 'Both.'

'Oi,' Laura laughed, splashing water in the direction of Carmilla.

They lay in silence for a while, enjoying the soft roll of the ocean beneath them.

Laura felt happy, but a sense of restlessness was creeping up on her. She knew that they couldn't stay in this perfect world forever. They'd have to return, and she'd have to explain where she'd been. 

Over the course of the week she'd had no contact with the outside world. The nearest shop was too far away for Laura so Carmilla ran there whenever they needed supplies. There hadn't been a chance to call Laf and Perry, or anyone else who would notice her missing.

Worry filled her chest. It began to ruin her perfect relaxation. Even when they got out of the water, the thought still niggled at the back of her mind, leaving her with a sense of unease.

Laura sat up on her towel. The sun had dried her skin. She looked down at Carmilla lying next to her.

'I think we should go back.' 

Carmilla lowered her book. She looked confused.

'To Silas?' She asked.

Laura nodded, twisting around on the sand to stare out at the sparkling blue. 'We've been here a week. I haven't contacted anyone. Perry has probably alerted the whole country by now to my disappearance.

'We can call,' Carmilla replied. 

Laura shook her head. 'It's more than that. I don't know. I feel like we should get back to Styria. We have lives there.'

'Don't you like it here?' Laura could see Carmilla retreating back into herself, beginning to shut off from the world again.

'Of course I like it,' Laura replied quickly, reaching out a hand to place on her knee. 'It's perfect here. I wish we could stay forever.'

'Then why don't we?'

Laura paused for a second. In that moment she could see no earthly reason they couldn't. They were happy here. Carmilla had enough money to support them for a lifetime. Why couldn't they live in a dreamlike paradise? She checked herself, blurting out, 'we can't.' 

'Why not?' Carmilla questioned, bringing herself up onto to her knees. 'Can't we just run away and hide from it all? No one to fail or disappoint. No responsibilities outside of our own happiness. It would just be you and me in...' Carmilla paused. She could see Laura shaking her head.

'Realistically we need to go back at some point, and the longer we stay, the harder it will be to leave.'

Laura had made up her mind and she knew that Carmilla could see that. Carmilla sighed. 'Okay. But can we stay for two more days?'

There was no reason that Laura could think of not to. All of her heart wanted to stay, but she told herself that it was not practical. It wasn't something that could be done. People just didn't do that, run away from reality to live in a perfect dream. Laura didn't trust it. Under it all, she was worried that things would fall apart if they stayed for longer. She didn't want the dream to be ruined. She wanted to hold this place in her memory as somewhere sacred, unmarred by the outside world.

Carmilla was stuck back in her book again. Laura worried that she was grumpy. In an attempt to find out, Laura lay back on the sand next to her.

'What you reading?' Laura asked. Carmilla flicked her eyes sideways at Laura.

'Albert Camus.'

Laura nestled in closer to Carmilla's side, reading over her shoulder. 'Those who prefer their principles over their happiness, they refuse to be happy outside the conditions they seem to have attached to their happiness. Huh... Interesting...' 

If she was honest, she didn't really understand what it had meant. Philosophy had never been her strong point.

'Indeed,' Carmilla replied.

-

The next day Carmilla had to leave to sort something out. The beach felt strangely lonely without her. Laura had meant to enjoy her last full day, but she found that it consisted of her continually checking the sand dunes for Carmilla's return. 

When Carmilla did get back it was already getting dark and she appeared tired. Laura let her rest by the fire as she cooked them some dinner. She was curious as to what Carmilla had been doing, but she would give nothing away. Whenever Laura would ask, Carmilla would flick at her a smile, saying 'wouldn't you like to know,' or 'it's a secret,' or other words to that affect. Whatever it was, Laura felt that she would find out soon.

The next morning, Carmilla got up to leave again, bright and early, before she'd even had breakfast. Laura's curiosity went into overdrive. Carmilla usually savoured lying in in the mornings. They were supposed to be leaving that evening. What could she possibly be doing? 

As Carmilla left the hut, Laura stopped pretending to be asleep, stumbling out of the hammock and over to the wall. She found a slit between the wooden boards big enough to see through. Laura watched as Carmilla made her way across the beach, only shifting into Mica once she'd reached the top of the sand dune. She appeared to sniff the breeze before turning and running out of view.

Laura rushed into some clothes and followed. Even on the top of the sandune, Laura couldn't spot Carmilla anywhere, but there were tracks left in the sand. 

As Laura traced the way that Carmilla had traveled. The scenery changed to grassland and dirt tracks. It was boiling hot and the landscape was dry as a bone. Laura wished she'd brought a bottle of water. 

She had no clue how far Carmilla had gone. Remembering the speeds which Carmilla could travel as Mica, Laura began to regret heading out so hastily. Still, the imprints that Mica's running feet had made were clear in the dust, so Laura carried on.

Eventually she saw up ahead a building standing in the shade of some cypress trees. As Laura approached, she saw that it was more of a barn or large garage with an open front. The noise of metal striking metal travelled up the path.

Trying to avoid being seen, Laura lowered herself slightly, darting behind the closest tree. She slowly crept her way forwards until she had a better view of what was going on. 

Laura spotted Carmilla. She was by the side of a workbench, hammering away at a piece of metal. She held it up to the sunlight, and then lowered it again. She wandered over to a classic black motorbike which stood to the front of the garage and crouched down to get to its engine.

Laura couldn't help but stare. Carmilla's muscles were shiny with sweat from the work. Black engine oil was smeared in patches across her skin. She was had evidently been wearing overalls, but tied the arms around her waist in the heat of the day. On her top half she wore a white vest. When she stood, Laura saw that it was filthy with engine grease.

To keep her hair out of her face, Carmilla had tied her hair back. Her fringe still hung across her eyes though, occasionally she'd lift an an arm to brush it back from her face as she worked.

'You may as well just pass me that wrench rather than just watching.' Carmilla called out. She didn't look up from the engine.

Laura jumped out of her skin. She didn't know that Carmilla had noticed her hiding. Sheepishly she stood up and wandered over.

'Superhuman hearing remember,' Carmilla said, looking up from her work.

She stood and walked towards Laura. Laura could feel her face burning, and not just from the sun. Carmilla had a playful look in her eyes. She strode over to Laura, stopping just before her.

'Get a good look?' She asked. 'I guess at least now I know what you like.'

Laura gulped. She stumbled over her words so much she didn't know what to say. She was embarrassed at having followed Carmilla, at having watched her, at having been caught. 

Carmilla reached forward an oily black finger and pressed it to Laura's nose.

'Hope you don't like those clothes,' she said, turning. 'Come on, if you're here you might as well help.'

Laura nodded, following Carmilla into the shade of the garage. She was handed a bottle of water. 

'I figured you might be thirsty after that walk.'

Laura nodded. The water refreshed her somewhat. Once she'd had enough, she followed Carmilla back out to the bike.

'I'm fixing it up so I can take it back to Karnverloren,' Carmilla said. 'I used to ride this back when I came to the beach more often. It's been sitting here for quite a while so it needs a good bit of work done. Problem is, the bike's so old that you can't find new parts for it anymore. I've been making use of the ones I do have.'

Laura's father had never trusted motorbikes. He called them death traps. She'd never been allowed to drive a car either. They were too expensive and bad for the environment. Instead she had usually had to find her way about by bike or public transport.

Carmilla soon explained to her the parts of the engine. They spent half the morning working on just the suspension which was completely shot. There were some spare parts inside the garage which took some time to locate.

At once point Laura ran over to Carmilla to pick up a particularly large hunk of metal, but the girl had already lifted it up over her shoulder with apparent ease. Laura went back over to it when Carmilla wasn't looking, and found she couldn't even lift it a millimetre.

Laura now understood why Carmilla had seemed so wiped out when she'd returned the night before. The work was exhausting. They didn't even have time to stop for a siesta. 

Carmilla continued tinkering with the engine until finally she was satisfied. She hopped onto the bike and switched on the ignition. The bike roared into life.

'Want to go for a test drive?' Carmilla called to Laura over the engine's purr.

Laura looked at the bike with suspicion. 'Is it safe?' She asked.

Carmilla nodded. 'I've done all the checks, but I'll tell you what. I'll take it for a quick spin to double check the brakes and everything first. Can you grab me my helmet from over there?' 

Laura nodded, running over to the garage and back to Carmilla. As soon as the helmet was on, the engine roared and Carmilla disappeared off, leaving a cloud of dust behind her. Suddenly the air around Laura was still again, but she could still hear the whine of the bike in the distance.

Laura made some attempt to start clearing up the garage, but Carmilla was soon back.

'God I missed that feeling,' she said, pulling off her helmet. Carmilla's glossy hair fell around her shoulders. Laura felt like she was purposefully mocking the hot motorbike girl cliché from films. She chucked Laura her helmet. It slightly winding Laura as she caught it, breaking her out of her spell.

Carmilla picked up a rag out of a bucket of water and began to scrub the oil from her skin. Laura leant against the side of the garage, this time shamelessly watching the flex and shine of Carmilla's well toned muscles, appreciating the perfect figure of her body. 

Danny was now less than a shadow at the back of Laura's mind. She turned when Carmilla began to undress to put on her gear, but she couldn't deny that she desperately wanted to peek. All that she wished for now was for Carmilla to actually like her back. Laura had the sensation that Carmilla's occasional flirtation was only ever just to toy with her.

It turned out that Carmilla had bought them both leathers and helmets for the journey back. Laura struggled into hers, but once they were on, they were a perfect fit. 

Carmilla got back onto the bike and started the engine. The noise thrilled her, yet terrified her at the same time. Her dad had warned her so many times about the dangers.

Carmilla beckoned her, and Laura jogged over. She pulled her helmet on over her head before climbing onto the seat behind. 

Carmilla called back something, but Laura couldn't hear through the helmet.

'Sorry?' She shouted.

'Got a grip?' Carmilla repeated, this time being heard by Laura.

Laura put her hands onto the sides of Carmilla's waist and shouted to the affirmative.

The engine growled loudly and they shot forwards. 

Instantly Laura was hit with the acceleration. She suddenly learnt the virtues of a good grip, hurriedly pulling herself closer into Carmilla and wrapping her arms around tighter.

The bike shot along the dirt track. Laura clung to Carmilla, looking over her shoulder as they sped past grasses and trees. Laura's nerves dissolved to elation as she began to enjoy the speed. She worked out the best position to sit in, and discovered that she needed to lean with Carmilla and the bike whist it was turning.

Carmilla took her on a circuit of the area before circling back around to the garage and breaking outside. Laura hopped off of the bike. She took her helmet off, laughing and grinning back at Carmilla. 

The smile was returned. Laura's happiness warmed Carmilla's chest. She knew that for once she had caused something good in someone's life, not just anyone's, in Laura Hollis' life. Carmilla beamed with the knowledge. She felt the energy inside her grow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything seems to be going well, or is this just the calm before the storm? Catch the next chapter to find out.
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 11th March.


	31. Chapter 31

Once the bags had been attached securely to the back of the motorbike they were ready to go. Carmilla turned to Laura.

'Are you sure you want to leave?' She asked.

Laura nodded. 'I said we'd leave today. We can't stay longer or we'd stay forever.' Laura could tell what Carmilla was about to say again. She was going to ask why not, and Laura was going to forget her ration and reason. She held up a hand before Carmilla could speak. 'We have duties. We have friends. We cannot abandon our lives there.' 

'We.' Carmilla mumbled, turning back to the bike and making sure the straps were fastened. 'You have those things. All I have is a bad feeling. Silas is never good news.'

Laura shook her head, passing Carmilla her helmet. 'Things will be different now. You're not alone anymore. You have me.'

The helmet was put on before Laura could gauge Carmilla's reaction. She got on the bike anyway. Laura was grateful that they were making a move. It was boiling standing in the sun wearing leathers. Laura hopped on behind Carmilla before pulling her helmet on too.

The bike rumbled beneath them as the engine came to life. Laura snaked her arms around Carmilla's waist. Carmilla kicked the bike into ignition. Within moments they were speeding off. Laura watched the landscape change as they travelled further from the sea. It became less arid and eventually they began spiralling up again into mountains green with trees.

About half way they had to stop to fill the tank up with petrol. Laura stayed outside as Carmilla went into the shop to pay. She shuffled forwards into the front seat. Tentatively, Laura put her hands forwards onto the handlebars. She familiarised herself with where the various instruments and controls were situated.

'Want to learn to ride it?' 

Laura looked up. Carmilla had left the store and was making her way back over. An idea came into Laura mind. 

'Sure,' she replied, hopping back off the bike.

'We'll take it to a quieter patch of road,' Carmilla said. 'But first, I got you these.' 

She threw Laura a bag of cookies. Laura smiled; Carmilla knew her well.

They went to where there was an empty patch of flat ground to the side of the road. 

Carmilla got off the bike and began pointing through all of the controls in detail. She was doing a very in depth overview. Laura watched as she gestured and spoke. It was cute how much enthusiasm she was having for teaching Laura.

There was not a cloud in the sky. They were on relatively high ground. Laura could see where the great blue sky met with the sea, way off in the distance. Laura drew a smiley face with the tip of her shoe in the dust.

'Laura, have you taken in one word I've said?' Carmilla asked, looking exasperated.

'Sure sure,' Laura replied. 'Turn and lean to change direction, break the same as on a bicycle.'

'Yes, but you have to remember that this thing has way more power than your bike at home, you could seriously injure yourself.'

Laura nodded. 'I get it.'

'Think you're ready?' Carmilla asked. Laura nodded. 'Okay, let's go then.'

Laura got on and felt Carmilla take her place behind her.

'Now I'm going to talk you through again how we start. Remember, we'll take it slow for the moment and just work on basic balance and turning. This one's a kick-starter since it's so old. I'll get it started and you can drive on from there.'

Carmilla reached around Laura to get to the controls, and soon the motorbike had roared into life. 

'Okay. So now I want you to go into first gear,' Carmilla instructed. Laura did as she was told. 'Good. Next, very slowly begin to release the clutch.'

The bike began to roll forwards. Laura could feel Carmilla using her feet on the floor for extra balance. 'I want you to accelerate now, but only a little. Remember where the breaks are.'

The bike began to move. It was barely going walking pace.

'Okay that's good. Now use the breaks and gently slow us to a stop' Carmilla directed.

Laura picked up her feet and tucked them into the side of the bike. She turned the handle, bringing the speed up.

'Laura...' Carmilla sounded worried. 'You're doing well, but I think we should break now. It's your first time so I don't think we should go too fast.'

Laura smiled inside her helmet. 'Who said this is my first time?' She muttered. 

Revving the engine, Laura made the bike dart forward and turned swiftly, moving out onto the road. 

She felt Carmilla's grip suddenly tighten around her waist.

Laura laughed. Carmilla clearly hadn't expected her to have a clue how to drive. It felt good to be back in control of a bike again.

She just about hear the muffled shouts of Carmilla telling her to stop over the roar of the engine and rush of the wind against her helmet. Laura toed the bike up a gear, twisting the accelerator. 

Even through her leathers, Laura could feel Carmilla's fingers digging into her sides. She had some grip. Laura wondered whether she'd have bruises there the next morning.

They were going fast enough now. Laura stopped accelerating and kept it at an even speed. She enjoyed the feeling of tracing through the dusky roads as night began to fall, carving her way up into the mountains.

Carmilla's fingers began to release their pressure. They instead rested to the sides of Laura's hips. By this point she had obviously worked out that Laura knew what she was doing. 

Laura continued driving. She knew that this was the road to Styria, and besides, there wasn't exactly many turn offs. The roads were pretty empty too. They'd only seen about two other vehicles, one having been a loaded hay cart, and the other an old woman on a bicycle. Laura had slowed down considerably to pass her, but she'd still looked shocked in Laura's mirror as their wind ruffled her skirts.

The night was traveling in fast. Laura had to switch on the headlight so that she could see the twist and turn of the tarmac. Laura's eyes flickered momentarily off the road to look at the sky. The endless black was littered with stars. The moon shone like a silver coin over the dark fir trees.

To the bike's side there was a fairly steep drop down the side of the mountain. Laura saw a small lay-by to the side of the road. It was as good a stop as any. She slowed the bike and parked it in the space. 

Carmilla got off the bike and took off her helmet.

'Why didn't you say you could ride?' She asked, 'You must have thought me a fool, trying to teach you how to change gears.'

Laura ruffled her fingers through her hair. Her head felt hot and sweaty from wearing the helmet for too long. She smiled over to Carmilla.

'It was amusing. And cute... you being all serious, trying to teach me something.'

Carmilla began to wander towards the edge. 'I just assumed...' She stopped and turned. 'You said you knew nothing about mechanics, were you pretending all day too?'

Laura laughed. 'No... I never got much chance to get to grips with engines. My dad never let me get a motorbike. In fact he forbade me from ever even getting on one.'

Carmilla chuckled. 'Makes sense.'

Laura got the sense that Carmilla was hiding something. She whacked Carmilla playfully on the arm with her riding gloves. 'What?'

'Oh... well, I went out riding with Emma once when we'd just found out that she was pregnant with you. We really shouldn't have. Anyway, to keep things short, there was a near miss with a lorry. Of course we weren't going to tell him, but one of your dad's friends saw and told him all about it the next week.'

'So you're the reason I had to keep my driving habit a secret.'

'Most likely. Steve was mad at us. I don't blame him though. He was terrified of losing you. But you obviously inherited your mother's love for speed. How did you learn anyway? You're pretty good.'

'I once qualified for regionals actually. At first I learnt by just messing around at my friend Izzie's farm. We'd go around the dirt tracks on her little 250cc Honda CRF. After a while I got pretty good and joined a club. I told dad I was going to scuba diving lessons on Saturday mornings.'

'You never fail to surprise me.' Carmilla remarked. She stepped over the safety barrier on the edge of the road. She then sat down, hanging her feet down the steep drop. Laura joined her. 

'I sometimes wonder about the stars...' Carmilla mused.

'Sometimes?' Laura chuckled.

The edge of Carmilla's mouth curled upwards. 'You know what I mean. I was looking up at them as you were driving. I don't imagine you got much chance then, but look now. They're beautiful.'

Laura tilted her head upwards. Carmilla was right. The infinite black of the sky was pierced by hundreds of tiny pricks of light. A single cloud travelled across the sky. Soft moonlight illuminated its silver woollen edges.

Beneath their feet the dark forest spread all the way across and into the tops of the neighbouring mountains. Laura thought she could see the orange light of a fire flickering between trees deep in the valley. 

Carmilla leant her lead back on the barrier as she gazed upwards. Those eyes shone, brilliant with the light falling down from the heavens. Laura studied the curve of her lips, the line of her jaw, a stillness rested in her brow. Dark lines and smooth skin. Ivory and ebony.

Laura felt a sudden compulsion to do something. Storms raged inside of her, but she could see that Carmilla's soul had become as still as a glass lake. 

She looked back up at the stars, calming herself down, stealing some of their serenity. Glancing down, she saw where Carmilla's hand rested. It lay just next to her own.

Laura felt the back of her neck get hot as her hand began to drift across the floor. Her fingers felt their way across the earth, reaching out to make connection with Carmilla. A distance which in reality was only a few centimetres felt like it took eons to traverse.

Eventually she found that other hand and rested hers gently upon it. Carmilla's eyes widened for a moment in shock but she didn't move her gaze from the stars. Instead, she just smiled. A shallow blush tinted the edges of her cheeks. She turned her hand beneath Laura's, interlocking their fingers.

A hope burned inside Laura's chest that Carmilla felt the same way as she did. They were now holding hands. At least that meant Carmilla didn't completely spurn her desires. An affection that was at first a mere flicker of warmth, had slowly grown into a roaring wildfire.

It was no good, sitting there for so long when they still had so far left to get home, but Laura couldn't help it. She felt like she'd been put under a spell. She never wanted to leave. She never wanted to have to pull her hand away from Carmilla's.

Laura cleared her throat. She was beginning to rehearse lines in her head, but her brain was yelling at her to stop.

Carmilla turned. 'You alright there?' she asked, eyebrow raised.

Laura could feel her face burning up. Oh god, what was she doing? She was sure that Carmilla would be able to feel her palms go sweaty.

'I was just wondering, um thinking. And I wanted to ask you... of course you can say no, not that you don't already realise that, but I just want to make sure you know that I'm okay if you do want to decline, and I wouldn't hold it against you. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised or blame you if you did...' 

'Decline what?' 

Laura froze. She couldn't think of how to word it. She wanted to abandon ship, but it was too late, she had to go through with it now. The silence seemed to eek on forever, until finally she gained her composure.

'I was wondering if tomorrow evening we could go out somewhere... together.'

Carmilla's eyebrows furrowed. 'I'm not very up to speed with the way that relationships work in this century, but is that a way of asking someone out on a date?'

'A very bad way, but a way nevertheless,' Laura admitted breathlessly. She was increasingly aware that Carmilla hadn't yet answered her. Had she really just asked her on a date? Laura had been purposely avoiding the word, but Carmilla had used it, and now her question had become irredeemably concrete in its meaning.

'Where and what time am I meeting you?' Carmilla asked.

'You're coming?'

Carmilla looked at Laura as if she were stupid. 'Laura. Of course I'm coming.'

Once again, Laura didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure any of this was real. It didn't feel like she was asleep, but didn't they say you can never tell when you're stuck inside a dream? Laura withheld from pinching herself anyway. If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up.

Carmilla nudged her out of her thought process. 'Laura. What time?' 

Laura shook her head and looked at Carmilla. 'Right. I haven't really planned that far ahead. Um... Let's say eight... you aren't busy then are you? I can always change it...'

'Laura. Eight is fine. Stop worrying. I'm coming. I promise.'

They sat there a while longer. Laura tried to hide it, but she couldn't help smiling. She hoped that Carmilla was happy too, but she couldn't tell much from her expression. 

Carmilla kept her hand in Laura's as she helped her over the barrier and crossed the road back to the bike. Carmilla offered to let Laura drive the rest of the way back. Laura was grateful, she needed to do something to get her mind off her nerves.

Following the road was a useful distraction, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. Laura picked over every detail of her stumbling proposal as they glided around bends and corners. She realised that now she had an answer, she had no idea what they were actually going to do.

She hadn't really thought that far ahead. It was all well and good getting Carmilla to say yes, but how on earth was she going to impress a centuries old vampire? Laura's mind flickered to the impressive parties and dances that Carmilla must have attended in her past. What impressive waltzes had partners impressed her with before and how could she possibly stand anywhere in comparison?

All of Laura's ideas felt inadequate. The theatre, or perhaps live music. She knew a new fancy restaurant had just opened in town, but still doubted that it'd be enough. Her best ideas all seemed trivial when she compared them to what Carmilla must have experienced before.

Laura looked up at the sky. An idea struck her. She wondered whether LaFontaine still had access to the observatory. The University had only recently purchased it so Carmilla had probably never been before. Technically they wouldn't be allowed there without one of the supervising professors, but she knew that in the past Laf had had a key.

Laura's mind was set. The observatory was far up in the mountains, but now they had the bike they would be able to drive there easily.

The remainder of the journey seemed to take no time at all. Carmilla directed her to a small road which led to an old garage. Apparently it was where Carmilla used to store the bike before she'd left it by the beach for years. 

They left the bike inside and made their way through the woods. It still quite a walk to get home, but Karnverloren was far from any road. It seemed like Carmilla wanted it that way.

Once they got back, Carmilla said goodbye to Laura at the door. Laura was surprised, but apparently Carmilla wanted to go for a walk and take in some of the night air. At first Laura feared for her safety, but then quickly remembered that Carmilla was probably far scarier than anything the woods could throw at her.

It took Laura a long time to get to sleep that night. She couldn't stop her mind revolving over future possibilities and spinning with the knowledge that Carmilla had agreed to come. A fear lurked deep within Laura's chest that she'd never turn up, that her saying yes had all been some big misunderstanding.

Eventually sleep took over her roving mind, pulling her deep down into the still depths of slumber.

-

Carmilla took a deep breath of fresh air as she strode through the forest. It was almost eight now and she was meant to be meeting Laura any minute. Carmilla had to keep checking her pace so that she wouldn't be early. Laura had told her to meet back at the shed where they'd left the bike.

Curiosity wandered around in Carrmilla's head. Where would Laura be taking them? She threw her curiosity to the wind. Did it really matter? She'd have fun at a pencil case museum if it was with Laura.

Carmilla had had so much to think about last night. By the time that Carmilla had got back to Karnverloren, it had already become morning and Laura was gone. She'd left a note saying that she needed to go something from town. It hadn't been that surprising that Laura was up and out, it was already nine. 

Carmilla hadn't planned to be out for so long, but she only realised when the sun rose, blanching colour up into the eastern sky, that she'd been walking all night.

She'd obviously needed the time to think. Laura's proposal had taken her completely by surprise. She had tried to play it cool all the way back, but as soon as she found herself alone she gave into the smile that had been trapped behind her lips for the past two hours.

Carmilla had caught up on sleep for the majority of the day, only waking up just before she needed to get ready. It had taken her a while to decide what to wear. That didn't usually happen. 

Carmilla looked down at her black jeans and shirt. She wondered whether it was okay. What if Laura was taking her out somewhere really fancy and she was underdressed? But then on the other hand, she hadn't wanted to overdress. This would be fine. It was a good balance for any situation.

She hadn't wanted to come back to Karnverloren. She'd had a bad feeling about it since Laura said they had to return. It had always seemed to have an oppressive air about it. Carmilla had worried that returning would shatter the perfection of the beach. Still, now she was here, and that perfection was still intact.

The sun was just beginning to set, and a low light was cast over the forest. Carmilla sighed a smile as she pictured Laura waiting for her outside the garage.

A rustling emanated from the trees a little way in front of her. Carmilla ignored it.

There was the sound of a branch snapping.

A slow sense of dread worked its way up her spine as Carmilla walked towards the noise. Whatever had made it was concealed within the bushes.

Carmilla cursed herself. She knew they shouldn't have come back. She didn't know whether to run towards or away from the noise. She tried telling herself that it was just some animal, but she couldn't shift the bad feeling.

A branch snapped again. 

Two eyes appeared. Two green eyes.

A figure stepped out.

Carmilla growled,

'Danny.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you've enjoyed the story so far! Leave me a comment to let me know what you think, I always read them and usually reply :)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 25th March.


	32. Chapter 32

Carmilla could feel all the hairs on her body standing on end. 

'What do you want Lawrence?' she spat.

'I was hoping we could have a little chat,' Danny replied.

'I have somewhere I need to be.' Carmilla lowered her head and tried to walk past the tall girl. She felt a rough hand hit her shoulder. 

'The only place you need to be is here.'

Carmilla mustered as much spite as possible into a look, and shot it at Danny.

'Look,' Danny started, 'you'd thank me if you knew the situation. There is a troop of Summers on their way here right now. They want you dead.'

'That's nothing that hasn't happened before,' Carmilla scowled. 'What do you want?'

'I want you to get away from Laura. She belongs with me.'

'She belongs with whoever she wants Amazon, and I'm pretty sure at the moment that's me.' 

Carmilla tried once again to get past but was stopped. Danny looked fierce. She held a lethal looking wooden spike in her hand. Carmilla hoped she wouldn't be stupid enough to try and use it.

Danny's voice shook with rage as she spoke. 'You realise she's just kind. Too kind for her own good. You really don't deserve someone like her.'

Carmilla leant against the side of the tree. Once the insult would have stung, but that was because she would have thought it was true. Laura must have really done wonders for her self belief. 

Danny had worked herself into quite some temper. Red veins flecked the whites of her eyes, turning them yellow. She was straining her voice from trying not to shout as she spoke:

'One way or another you are only going to hurt her. Even if you survive our attack, you think you can just play happy families forever? Her life has a use-by date you know, and you're not helping make it any longer.' 

Carmilla flinched. Danny detected it. She smiled and stepped in closer.

'She can't live forever like you. We know what you are. The Summers have been tracking supernatural activity in Silas. You don't think I did my research? Countess Mircalla Karnstein right? Or is it Carmilla, or perhaps another one of your long line of names.

Carmilla nodded. 'Don't forget Mica Rall. I have you to thank for that little addition.'

Danny smirked. Her chest was almost touching Carmilla's. Carmilla could feel the rough bark of the tree behind her back. 

'I couldn't resist adding that surname when I heard what they'd called you.' Danny began to lightly brush the tip of the stake done Carmilla's cheek. Her voice dipped and wavered. 'Fits in perfectly with your little pattern of anagrams doesn't it? I had my suspicions of who you were even back then, right in the first days that you crawled your way into our lives. I've wanted you dead from the moment I set eyes on you.'

The point's pressure increased. Carmilla could feel blood rolling down her cheek.

Carmilla was aware that it was eight o'clock now. Laura would be thinking that she was late, or worse, not coming. 

Danny was too close for comfort. Carmilla shook her off, putting meters between them.

'If you really wanted me dead, why are you warning me that the summers are on their way?' she asked.

Danny began to pace, not looking at Carmilla as she made her reply.

'Oh believe me, I want you dead. I wanted you dead when all the other summers only wanted you gone, but then they found the body. You remember? The girl who you sucked the life from and left to die in an alleyway.'

Carmilla shook her head. 'One kill in hundreds of years.'

'It doesn't matter.' Danny turned to face her. 'Most people manage to get by without murder. But you're a monster aren't you? When the summers realised that they changed their priorities.'

Some pieces of the last months slid themselves into place in Carmilla's mind. 'That fire, that was you wasn't it?'

Danny nodded. 'But you still didn't die. You realise I had to waste my holiday tracing after you?'

Carmilla rolled her eyes. 'I'm so sorry that I kept you from your pool parties and beach trips with your friends back home.'

'No,' Danny shouted. She could barely keep the emotion from her voice. 'You kept me from probably my last summer with my grandad. But you don't really care much about other people's lives do you?'

Danny slammed the stake into a tree. It went through the bark and deep into its side.

'It's taking all my effort not to kill you right now.' Danny stared at Carmilla with wild burning eyes. 'But I just want you gone. If you die now, Laura will always love you, and I don't want that to happen. I want her to hate you. I want her to see you for the monster you are.' 

Danny paused to catch her breath before continuing. 'Maybe she'll cry for weeks when you leave, but it's better for her in the long run. I'll be there to help her heal again.'

'I'm not going to leave,' Carmilla told her.

'You would if you knew what's right for her.'

'And you're what's right?'

'Laura is meant to be with me.'

'I think you need to convince Laura of that.'

'Laura can't see straight at the moment. We are made for each other.' 

'You're psychopathic. There's nothing on this earth that could make me leave Laura. She doesn't want you. Do you understand? She chose me.'

'Maybe she wouldn't have done if she knew everything.'

'God Danny, she knows. She knows that I am Mica. She knows that I am a vampire. She knows who I am and she doesn't care.'

'I think she would care if she knew what you did to Emma.'

Carmilla turned on the spot. Danny had really done her research if she knew that far back.

'I never hurt her. Laura knows that.'

'Well that's obviously what you told her, but we both know that's not true, don't we?' 

Carmilla stared at Danny blankly.

'Oh god, you don't know do you?' Danny laughed. 'You haven't worked it out yet.'

'Know what?' A sense of dread was spiralling up inside Carmilla's chest.

'How can you not know such a fundamental aspect of yourself? Well, let me enlighten you a little. Vampires live off the life energy of others. You know this. It can be taken from blood or strong care and love. But I think what you didn't realise is that in both cases you drain them.'

Carmilla shook her head violently. 'That's not true. You're bluffing.'

'I wish I was. See, all those years you let Emma care for you, all you were doing was slowly draining her of life. You thought that only taking energy by blood causes harm didn't you? What was it her doctors reports said? Unknown cause. General fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness. All the symptoms of blood loss, but not a drop spilt.'

Danny's face gloated. She paused a second to bask in Carmilla's misery. She honed in her next words for maximum impact. 'You got strong off of her care, but everything has a price. Love will have its sacrifices, and it certainly did for Emma Hollis.'

Carmilla twitched. Her brain couldn't process the information it was taking in. 

'You sucked in every ounce of care she had and it killed her. Laura will hate you when I tell her.'

Carmilla began to step backwards. Danny continued her barrage.

'You kill everyone close to you. You are poison to the ones you love.'

Each word shot through Carmilla like an arrow. She stumbled backwards, desperate for distance between herself and the truth. A branch snagged her hair but she kept on moving, her pace slowly accelerating into a run.

'You need to leave Karnstein,' Danny called after her. 'Don't you ever come back.'

Tears stung at the corner of Carmilla's eyes. She ran as fast as she could, but didn't change to Mica. Being the cat would numb the pain. She didn't deserve that. She needed to bear the burden of what she had done to Emma, of what she had almost done to Laura.

Carmilla recoiled. She felt sick.

She'd convinced Laura that she was not Emma's murderer, but now she knew that was a lie. 

She deserved all of the hate Laura had given her then. She was no different to other vampires, sucking the lives from their victims. Carmilla's defiance of her mother had been pointless. Her refusal to feed on blood made no difference. 

In many ways Danny was being kind. She was right, all Carmilla could do was hurt Laura. Carmilla put more force into her strides. She needed to leave Laura's life. For good.

\---------------

Laura checked her watch. Ten past eight. There was no sound of footsteps echoing through the trees, but her ears were aching for them to come.

Carmilla was probably being fashionably late. Laura wished she wouldn't. She wanted them to have as much time together as possible. All that being late did was make Laura worry that she wasn't going to show.

Laura tapped a rhythm onto the empty metal barrel she was sat on. Her eyes traced over the motor bike again, checking that everything was in place. She giggled, her chest full of nervous, bubbly excitement.

She went over the plan in her head. They would drive out to the observatory. By the time they got there it would be getting dark. She had packed a picnic hamper full of food. They could eat and look at the stars. Laf had taken her there and reminded her of how all of the telescopes and equipment worked that morning. It would be fine.

But what if that wasn't enough? Maybe Carmilla would get bored of the stars after a while and they wouldn't find anything to talk about. Laura wiped those fears from her head. They were irrational.

She slid her phone from her pocket. There were no missed calls or messages. The time had reached twenty past. 

Jumping off the barrel Laura began to pace back and forth. She looked into the forest incase she could see someone coming. The trees were empty. She dug the tip of her toe into the dust and stopped pacing. She'd just look strange when Carmilla arrived, she didn't want to give off a bad impression.

Laura leant against the barrel again. She began to pick at the flecks of old paint with her nails.

There was still no footsteps coming through the woods. Every few minutes Laura would get out her phone to check it again. Eventually she gave up and just held it in her hand.

Half past. Something must have happened. Knowing Carmilla, Laura didn't believe that she'd be anything but punctual on their first date. 

A bad feeling lurked in the bottom of her chest. It was torture just waiting. Perhaps Carmilla was hurt. Laura decided to take action.

She lifted her phone and dialled LaFontaine.

The tone went four times before Laf picked up.

'Lau... ..hat's up?' the voice crackled down the line.

'Laf. I need you to check something for me. Do you still have that tracking chip on Mica?'

'Sor.... ...n't reall... hear y...,' the phone hissed, breaking up the words.

Laura cursed and stood on the barrel, lifting her phone as high as possible.

'I need you to find Carmilla,' she stated clearly into the mouthpiece.

For a few minutes all she could hear was static. She would have hung up, but then there was some rustling and the voice came back.

'Got a loca... ... e's by th... ke' 

'By where?' Laura called desperately.

'T... lake'

Laura thought. Laf must mean the one where Carmilla had freaked out before. Why was she there now? Laura thanked LaFontaine and hung up. 

Jumping down from the barrel, she began to run through the woods. The lake wasn't too far off, perhaps a mile away. Laura's brows furrowed in concern. She didn't know Carmilla's connection with the lake, but she was sure it wasn't good.

Pain crept into Laura's lungs from the sprinting. Her legs began to burn. Nothing could make her slow down though, nothing.

A hand shot out of the trees and grabbed Laura's arm. She was dragged down the side of the verge and behind a tree. Strong arms locked around her and pulled her to the ground. Laura could tell she was pressed against a man's body. 

A hand was clasped over her mouth. Laura bit into it. Her attacker yelped in pain.

'Duuddeee.' He whispered. 'I'm trying to help you here!'

'By ambushing me?' Laura hissed. She turned in her grasp to see the Zeta from back at the Adonis Hunt. He pressed a finger to his lips and pointed to the path.

Laura was confused. The woods were empty. But then she heard a rustle of leaves and lowered voices. From behind the tree, Laura strained to get a glimpse of what was happening.

Her eyes were about level with their boots. Thirteen angry looking summers were marching. They wore black paint over their eyes, and their hair was tied back in plaits. Across their backs and in their hands were a multitude of weapons. One held a rifle. 

Laura stifled her gasp. Firearms like that were illegal to carry in this part of the country. She scrutinised the face beneath the black paint. Laura recognised her from the festival. Melanippe Callis. Laura imagined how angry Danny would be if she knew they were parading about like this.

Once they were out of earshot, Laura turned to the Zeta. 

'What was that!??!' She hissed.

'Hotties got a bee under their bonnet about something, that's for sure. Best to keep out the way. Laura Hollis right? I'm Kirsch.' He held out his hand. Laura paused a second before shaking it. 

'I didn't get a chance to introduce myself before... at the hunt' he continued. 'I was the one who knocked you out with my elbow. Accidentally! Very accidentally.'

Laura nodded quickly. She wasn't overly concerned about introductions. 'What are they doing and where are they going with all those weapons?' she asked.

'Beats me,' he shrugged. Laura sighed in exasperation, pulling herself to her feet.

'My bet though is they're hunting something though. And not an animal or a Zeta. Not with that gear. They're headed towards the lake. They're probably hoping to corner it there.'

'Oh god. Carmilla.' Laura panicked. Whether or not they were after her in particular was unimportant. She would be caught right in their path. 

Laura began to run, but Kirsch grabbed her hand.

'What are you doing? Are you crazy? You need to stay out of their way!'

'My friend is at the lake. I'm worried something might happen to her.'

'Wait hottie with the dark brown hair?'

'Yeah, why? Did you see her run past?'

'No, I saw her at the lake a couple months ago. Gothic chick right? She locked herself into a box and went into the water. I almost drowned just getting her out. I saved her life, but she said she didn't want to be saved. She said she was overcoming her weaknesses or something.'

Laura's heart ached. She wished she knew what pain Carmilla was going through. She wished she'd shared this with her.

Kirsch continued. 'After that I saw a group of summers spying on her from the side. They seemed angry about something. I figured when you said you have a friend at the lake, it might be her, and that she might be who they're after.'

Laura took a deep breath. 'I think you're right. I need to save her.'

Kirsch nodded. 'I can help. I'll go distract the Summers whilst you go help your friend.'

Laura thanked him before he darted off into the trees. She waited a moment to gauge the way she wanted to travel, before beginning to run.

The lake couldn't be too far away now. She would be there within a few minutes. Laura just wished that would be soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you're enjoying the story! Be sure to leave comments and kudos :)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 8th April.


	33. Chapter 33

At first when Laura broke through the trees and onto the pontoon, Carmilla was nowhere in sight. Perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps Carmilla had just been late for the date and would be waiting by the garage.

Laura shook her head. Laf's tracking chip had said she was here. Something was wrong. Laura stepped along the wooden planking. The whole pontoon was empty bar a small rowing boat lazily bumping against its side and a crate sitting at the end.

There was no sound or sign of movement in the woods behind either. Laura turned back to the lake, scanning its surface and edges. 

The thought suddenly struck Laura that perhaps Carmilla was in the lake. She darted to the side of the water, anxiously searching its depths for a sign of life. Laura fumbled for her phone. She needed to know more precisely where Carmilla was, and whether she was even still by the lake. 

She picked at her nail as the dial tone began to sound. A spot of red blood rolled down the side of her finger to the floor. Laura cursed and put the finger in her mouth.There was a scraping noise to her side. Laura whipped round. Where was the noise coming from?

There was a few moments of silence before the noise happened again. The wooden crate which Laura had ignored jumped forwards. Her body went cold. Someone had picked up, but Laura pulled the phone from her ear and hung up.

The box shifted again. Closer to the water. Was it big enough for a human to fit inside? Laura felt her feet begin to run towards the crate. The wood made a creaking noise. The box was teetering on the edge. Laura dove and grabbed the side, hauling it back in with all her strength.

She could feel whatever was inside protest. It hit violently and repetitively on the box's side. Each hit made the box shift towards the water. Pulling the box further into safety, Laura dug her fingernails into the side of the wood, prizing the lid off.

Curled up inside was Carmilla. Her wild black hair obscured her face. Every few seconds her shoulders would contract and twitch. Laura didn't know what to do. She reached a tender hand forwards to comfort her.

Before Laura could say anything, Carmilla let out a growl.

'Follow two steps and I won't kill you. Put the lid back on. Leave.'

Her voice was different. It had all of the bitterness back which it lost over the time that Laura had known her. Her words were inflected by so much venom. Laura sucked her breath in through her teeth and put her hand on Carmilla's arm. 'That's never going to happen.'

'Laura?' Carmilla violently shook the arm away and leapt to her feet. Her eyes were marked by pure panic. She shook the emotion out of her eyes, leaving them empty and dead. 'You still need to leave.'

'I don't know what you're trying to do, but it won't help you. I can help you.'

Carmilla turned to walk away. 'The path out of darkness can only ever be a solitary journey.'

Laura grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back around.

'And who said that? It's nonsense. We're strongest together. Is this about the Summers? I know they're hunting you down now. It's okay. We can beat them,' Laura pleaded.

'I don't care about those imbeciles,' Carmilla snapped. 'I could destroy them all without breaking a sweat. I could grind their bones to dust. I could confine them to life in an insane asylum with one single look if I so desired. I am a monster. You are blind if you can't see that. Now run away little girl, you are playing with things you can't understand.'

Laura didn't let go. 'What changed?' She asked. 'We've established that your past wasn't so great. We've established that it still impacts you now. We're getting past that. You were finding peace.'

'It's not just my past though. I was born a monster. Whatever I do, however far I travel, I come back to that. It is undeniably and irrevocably built into my very nature. If you really knew who I was, what I've done, you would despise me.'

'That's not true.' Laura told her resolutely.

'I was lying to you before,' Carmilla told her.

Laura's eyebrows furrowed. 'What about?' She asked.

'Your mother.' Carmilla replied. 'You trust too easily. That little yarn I made up? It was a lie. I killed your mother. I may not have drawn the blood from her body, but I harvested her energy. I drained her of every last ounce. She died grey faced and empty of the love which I drew from her.'

'I don't believe you. No one is that good a liar. You were her friend, you loved her. There is no way you wanted her dead. Why? What reason could you possibly have?'

'I didn't need a reason. I'm a vampire remember? I have no soul. I don't care who I hurt. Now get out of here. I never want to see your face again. All I can ever do is hurt you.'

'You don't want to hurt me. That means you care. If you care then...'

'I don't care.' Carmilla cut Laura off. 'You annoy me. I'm bored of you being in my life. You think I even liked you? You were just my walking battery, just like your mother. The only reason I was ever nice to you was for an energy boost. But to be honest, you're not worth the bother. God, your inane rambling was going to send me insane. You were fun to mess around with for a while, but did you actually think I had feelings for you?'

Laura shook her head. It was obvious that Carmilla was trying to make her hate her, the question was why?

'I don't believe that for one second,' she replied firmly. 'But it doesn't matter whether you like me. I'm not letting you hurt yourself.'

'I'm not hurting myself. I'm teaching myself to man up and get over my problems'

'By locking yourself into a box and throwing yourself into the water? How is that going to help?'

'Laura. I can get through this alone. I don't deserve your help, it will cost you more than you realise.'

Carmilla couldn't meet Laura's eyes. A matted lock of hair hung over her face. Gently Laura brushed it to the side. She lifted Carmilla's chin softly and waited until the girl's eyes moved up to meet hers.

Laura stepped forwards, wrapping Carmilla in her embrace. She rested the girl's head against her shoulder, stroking her hair.

'Love has sacrifices. You mean more to me than you realise. Show me the cost and I'll pay it.'

For a moment Carmilla relaxed and settled into her arms. But then she shook her head. 'I can't,' she muttered. Carmilla attempted to push Laura away, but her push was weak and Laura would not budge. 

Carmilla tried to move again but Laura could tell her spirit was not in it. Carmilla did not want to leave, she thought she had to. Soft sobs eminated from her shoulder.

'I can't. I'll drain you. I'll kill you like I killed her.'

'Shh,' Laura cooed, brushing her fingers through Carmilla's dark locks. 'I'm not dead yet am I? Let's not rush to any hasty conclusions or decisions. Talking isn't going to hurt me. We have time. Let's review the information and decide what to do from there.'

Laura felt her nod. Carmilla pulled back and sniffed.

'Never known you to be so sensible.' Carmilla laughed.

'I have my moments,' Laura replied, using her thumb to brush a tear from under Carmilla's eye.

Carmilla smiled sadly and stepped back. She walked to the edge of the planking. Laura panicked that she was going to do something stupid, but the girl just sat down by the side of the water and hugged her crossed legs. 

Laura kicked her shoes off and sat next to Carmilla, trailing her feet in the water. She put an arm around her shoulder. Carmilla leant in and rested her head against Laura.

'I shouldn't be doing this. I am only making things worse. But I am selfish, and right now I think I need you. 

I guess I should start at the beginning. I already told you a great deal of my past, but I didn't start far back enough. A long time ago I had a family. I'm not talking about my biological parents, I'm talking about after I died. I awoke to my current life in darkness. It took me a week to crawl out of the earth, and when I did I was greeted by a ravenous hunger.

All of my strength and energy was wasted on pulling myself from my grave. When I finally got out, I was blind and couldn't move. I didn't know where I was or who I had become. It was so cold. When soft voices came, wrapping their arms around me and replenishing my strength with warm blood, I knew I owed them my life. 

In the following weeks my strength grew. My family wrapped themselves around me, fierce and protective. I always wondered what I'd done to merit their love. In time I came to realise that it's what outcasts do. We cling to each other, because who else is there?

My family was small at times, large at others. At first it was just my Mother, a vigilant guardian over me and my sister Matska. It was only later into my life that we found my brother Will, and I learnt how easy it was to extend that same love for him that my Mother had extended to me almost two centuries earlier. 

Although bonds within the family were strong, we were violent and savage to anyone outside of our cluster. My family treated me like a queen. We dined in great banquet halls and toured Europe, our only concerns being the fulfilment of our own pleasure.

I took to studying. For me the pleasure of knowledge, of a good book, was nothing that could be rivalled by those ostentatious parades of capital. My siblings mocked me for it, though in their minds it was perfectly harmless.

It was learning which planted those seeds of discontent within my psyche. I learnt about the doctrines of Augustine and Evagrius, about asceticism and the benefits of denying worldly pleasures. I came to disagree with much of their philosophy, but it still led me to questions about my own hedonistic lifestyle. Was it right that I should gain pleasure as a result of so many other's suffering? Could a concept of right and wrong even be applied to a creature like me?

I had tried to abstain from killing, but had not yet learnt that vampires can harvest energy from emotion. With an absence of any source of energy, I soon began to wither away. My family soon counselled me against my foolishness and I resumed my blood fuelled lifestyle.

I'm not proud of what happened next. I had learnt that killing was an unavoidable aspect of my nature, essential to my survival. That made me angry. I began to kill, even when I didn't need the blood. In those years I was a true monster. Everywhere I went I left a tide of destruction in my wake. I became one of those stories that villagers told their children to scare them at night.

Then one evening Mattie dragged me to a party. I was eager for my meal, but she enjoyed the dancing part so I entertained her and waited. That's where I met Ell. She came over to me and started talking. I ignored her at first, but she was different to the others. Not so vain. She was genuine and she was sweet. 

For the first time in a long time I had a real conversation with a human being. We danced and we laughed. In a short time we built a really strong connection. I could feel her filling and fuelling me with her energy, just like blood would, but minus the guilt and heavy feeling in my stomach.

I was not hungry then that evening. I did not need to eat but I did. Mattie and Will were laughing at me. They thought I was going back to being an ascetic. They mocked me for growing attached, told me humans didn't live long anyway. For Mattie it was a charity we performed. She called murder 'preemptive misery prevention'.

The first human I had made a connection with and I drained her of blood. I was so cut up about Ell that I refused to eat. My mother was angry when I said I'd decided to stop drinking blood. I told her about the new way I'd found to harvest energy, that I didn't need blood to survive. 

At first she laughed at me saying I was stupid and wrong. Then she got angry and said it wasn't natural. I began to live in the company of humans, feeding off their friendship. It felt good, I was surviving, but not off the misery of others.

My mother had other ideas. Humans have persecuted our kind throughout history, and she was naturally defensive. The energy from those people wasn't as strong as their blood would have been. I became weak. She hated that I was wasting away for their benefit. She tried beating it out of me, but then when that didn't work she devised a new punishment.

I was sealed within a coffin of blood and buried beneath the earth. Not only was it physical torture, but mental too. If I drank that blood I lay in, I would gain the power to escape. But I had vowed not to drink blood again. I expect Maman had only expected me to last a few decades, but I remained down there for centuries. I never succumbed to the temptation. In the end it was the bomb churned battlefield of the Great War that allowed me to escape my terrible fate.'

Carmilla sighed. Laura sat absorbing the tide of information. It was a lot.

'I can't believe your own mother did that to you.' Laura said, dazed. She was barely managing to control the jets of anger she could feel rising within her chest.

Carmilla shuffled uncomfortably. 'She wasn't so bad. Controlling maybe. But she just wanted what was best for me.'

'Carmilla,' Laura uttered in disbelief. 'She locked you into a coffin. She tortured you. There's no excuse for that.

'Maybe, but humans have done worse things to her. She thought she was doing what she needed to protect her children and her family. It's what mothers do.'

Laura pulled Carmilla tighter into herself.

'So is this why you have trouble with water?' Laura asked. Carmilla shivered. 'I'm sorry. We can talk about something else if you'd like,' Laura added.

'No, no, it's fine,' Carmilla reassured her. 'I loved the ocean before my punishment. It became my coping strategy when I was down there. Sometimes when I thought I couldn't stand it anymore, or had a panic attack, I'd imagine that I was lying at the bottom of the ocean. It explained away the darkness and heavy feeling of the liquid around me. I could relax and even become happy for short periods of time.

It was the only way I remained sane, but when I reemerged it ruined the real sea for me forever. Even though I've left that coffin, I still feel the burden of its darkness wherever I go. I can't sleep at night for the nightmares. The spectre of that place still haunts me. 

I've tried getting over my weaknesses so many times. All I want is for the nightmares and flashbacks to stop and to expel the darkness that I can still feel in my chest. I thought that by reliving and facing my fear, I'd be able to get past it. Then I wouldn't need to depend on anyone anymore.

I came back to Emma after leaving because I still couldn't cope alone. At that point I had no one else in the world who would sit with me through nightmares and make it feel light although it was dark. She couldn't heal me completely though and we disagreed on how to heal me.

She thought that the best thing was to forget it ever happened. She banned me from the lake and talking about the subject. In her mind, if I focused on the happiness of my new family and the beauty of the outside world, I'd be fine.

Her method didn't work, and that's the bit I left out about the argument with your Mum. I eventually exploded, telling her that I couldn't pretend that everything was alright when I wasn't. From then she understood, cared for me.'

Tears began to well up in Carmilla's eyes again. Her voice wavered as she spoke.

'I began to get strong, I knew it was off the love and protection your family afforded me. I thought it was unfair that it was precisely as I became strong that your mother became weak. I never connected them before today.

Now I've made the connection it makes sense. I was draining her life energy just the same as if I had been taking her blood. I always assumed that it was something within my personality, but friendships I made were always short lived. People seemed to get tired in my presence, then eventually leave. Emma lasted longer than any of them, but she refused to give up, even though it killed her.'

Carmilla laughed. A deep gutteral laugh.

'See the ironic thing is that my mother was right. Vampires by necessity live off of the misery of others, draining their energy. I may as well have drunken blood. My method still killed, still meant I was living off of the unhappiness of others. All those years in a coffin, pointless. My protest was meaningless.

When I met you I was at a particularly low point. I had no company, so no means of energy. I had been exorcising my demons by throwing myself in the water in a box when your friend found me. Luckily I had been fluxing between forms, and when they found me I was a cat.

I had been cat sized for a long time. I couldn't get enough energy for a bigger form without blood energy. Even around your mother I only managed to grow to about the size of a lynx. 

I killed for blood one time after that coffin. I was at a dangerous level of low energy I had never experienced before. It felt like it was me who was being drained. This was back when I first knew you. Even the blood of animals and from hospitals couldn't cut it anymore, not enough kick. I stole the girl's blood to survive.

It was soon after you met me in human form (and were actually nice rather than disdainful) that I realised quite how much energy you contain. I could feel it radiating out from you. I thought that if I drank your blood, it would save my energy issues forever. One death rather than thousands, I was always too much of a coward to destroy my own life instead. I planned to kill you at the Adonis Festival, but then I found out that you are Emma's daughter and couldn't go through with it.

But you do understand now why I can't stay here? I... care about you, and not only as Emma's daughter, you are so much more to me now. If I stay by your side I will drain you, and I will kill you, just like I killed your mother. If I stay, I might as well have drained you back at the festival.

Laura, I'm asking you to leave because I couldn't live with myself if you stayed. I couldn't watch myself get stronger as you wither away. I may be larger as Mica than I've ever been before, but I know that that's only because I'm taking energy from you. Now I know that that harms you, I can't do it anymore.'

'Even knowing all this, I'm still not leaving,' Laura replied.

Carmilla sat up straight, prying herself from Laura's embrace and shaking her head vigorously.

'No Laura. You can't. It'd destroy me as much as it'd destroy you.'

Laura felt a firmness in her chest. A refusal to budge. Her brain raced to find a solution, anything to give them a little more time so she could work it all out.

'But I'm not dead yet Carmilla. I'm not even weak. I haven't felt drained by you at all. If anything, I feel stronger now than before I met you. Does it look like I'm withering away? Does it look like you're killing me? I am more alive that I have been in years. Let me stay.'

Carmilla shook her head solemnly. 'I can't.'

'Let me stay. Not even for your own benefit, but for mine. Leaving will hurt me more than staying ever could. I'll even give you a condition, I promise that as soon as I feel even the beginnings of being drained by you I'll say. I'll tell you, and you can walk away. It would give us time. Please,' Laura begged.

Laura looked at Carmilla, full of conviction.

'As soon as you feel weak?' Carmilla asked, her eyes suspicious.

'The very second.'

Laura waited, her chest full of nervous anticipation. It seemed like forever until Carmilla slowly nodded.

'Good,' Laura replied. 'At least this gives us time. Time to work things out.'

Laura put her arms back around Carmilla and held her as they looked out over the moonlit lake. She swirled her feet in the water, watching the ripples break up the moon. 

'Sorry about ruining our date,' Carmilla said.

Laura shrugged. 'This was more important. Besides its not too late if you're up to it?'

Carmilla shifted to look at her. 'What is it?'

Laura bit her bottom lip and smiled. 'Still a secret. But I promise it's nothing too loud or too much for tonight, but I understand if you're worn out and want to think things through.'

Carmilla shook her head. 'I want to go.' She trailed her hand down Laura's arm before entwining their fingers. 'I want to be wherever you are.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think in the comments :)
> 
> You can find me at sealion727.tumblr.com. Track the tumblr tag [#tsc updates] for chapter updates.
> 
> Currently I'm updating fortnightly. The next update will be FRIDAY 23rd April.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry, but I have been unable to do an update for today. I am currently writing my end of year essays and revising for my university exams. I hoped that I might have time to update this week, but it just wasn't possible. As such there will be a brief hiatus until Friday 3rd of June. At this point I will be able to dedicate my time to this story again and provide you with the next chapter. Sorry again and I hope you carry on reading!

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